


Strict IV

by happilylarry



Series: Strict [4]
Category: One Direction
Genre: Angst, F/F, F/M, Fluff, Light BDSM, Light Dom/sub, Smut, minor infidelity
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-31
Updated: 2015-01-19
Packaged: 2018-03-04 11:08:16
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 13
Words: 41,731
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3065630
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/happilylarry/pseuds/happilylarry
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>HOLY SHIT<br/>welcome back for the fourth season of Strict! </p><p>or book. yeah, book. So, anyways, you beautiful people, enjoy! Ideas are appreciated PLEASE because this story was not planned and I have a very small idea of how I want this to go!</p>
    </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> HOLY SHIT  
> welcome back for the fourth season of Strict! 
> 
> or book. yeah, book. So, anyways, you beautiful people, enjoy! Ideas are appreciated PLEASE because this story was not planned and I have a very small idea of how I want this to go!

It was difficult for Harry to manage a household and keep Louis in bed. Between constantly watching the boys and the babies, and making sure that Louis didn't try to get up to do anything, he was run ragged. He couldn't get any work done, he hasn't had time to shower for more than two minutes, and he's pretty sure that he's only gotten about six hours of sleep in the past three days. 

 

He found himself getting frustrated a lot, and on more than one occasion, he's snapped at Louis and has come close to doing the same to Bean. But he knew that it would break the two year olds heart if he ever did that, so he always had to take deep breaths and count to ten. By the time that was done, Bean was crawling on his lap like a puppy, green eyes sparkling and dimples out. 

 

He still hasn't found anytime to talk to Louis-which needed to happen because he couldn't keep everything bottled inside. It was dangerous when he kept things bottled up. Right now, he was just focused on making sure the house didn't burn to the ground. Now he understands how hard Louis has it. 

-

 

"Drop it." Harry said, breezing into their bedroom with a bottle of milk Louis had pumped. Louis was standing over the nightstand, rifling through the drawers. He jerked his head up when Harry came in. 

 

"It's just a book, darling. I have no desire to do any work. My back is killing me." He tossed the book onto the bed and cautiously crawled up onto the bed, settling himself gently. He crossed his legs and watched as Harry lifted up the angry little Ollie, in his green onesie. They had ordered some basic onesies for the boys online that had their names stitched onto the chest, which made telling them apart easy. 

  
That, and the fact that Ollie had a shock of dark brown hair and Theo's was a shade lighter. Identical twins, yeah right. They were going to have two more Louis and Harry's, for sure. 

 

Harry cradled the tiny little human in his arms and slid him the bottle. Ollie took to it and began to suck earnestly. Theo patiently waited his turn, content to sleep until Daddy woke him up to eat. 

 

"Don't let him drink it all at once." Louis said from the bed. "It'll give him a little tummy ache. Pull it away for a few seconds." 

 

Harry looked up at him. "I know, read your book." He had no time to bicker with Louis on how to feed their babies. He had to go downstairs and make sure that Bean and Lucas weren't wreaking havoc on the kitchen he just managed to get clean. 

 

"Just trying to help." Louis mumbled, cracking his book open and sliding his glasses on. He settled against the pillows and began to read. Harry had been a little on edge for the past few days, and he didn't want to get in the middle of whatever Harry was going through. No thank you.

 

"Well, you can help by not hurting yourself. Stay put." Harry ordered, lifting the now empty bottle from Ollie's lips. He wiped the milk from Ollie's lips with his finger and began to rock the baby back and forth, trying to get him to burp so that he could lay back down. 

 

"You know," Louis climbed down from the bed and took a deep breath, trying to stand up straight. He still held a pillow to his stomach, just to be safe. "I can go and check on the boys." He hobbled his way to the door, going slower than he thought because he bumped into a solid, warm, good smelling wall. 

 

Harry shook his head down at Louis. "No." He said. Crossing his arms. He had laid Ollie back down and the baby was now cuddling his brother. 

 

Louis wanted to stomp his foot, but he didn't think that it would best. "But Harry," He whined. "I just want to be downstairs with them." It didn't matter how much he pleaded, Harry was firmly stuck on no. 

 

"Back in the bed." Harry led him over to the bed and helped him up. 

 

"Why can't I do anything?" Louis sniffled, laying in the middle of the bed and getting as comfortable as possible. 

 

"You've just had a major surgery." Harry reminded him, staring down at Louis, who was pawing at the blanket, trying to cover himself up without moving. He sighed and tucked the blanket around Louis gingerly. 

 

"But you keep treating me as if I could break at any second!" He cried, burying his face into the pillow. Harry snapped, and he put one knee on the bed and loomed over Louis. He gripped Louis' chin with one hand and turned his head so that they were staring at each other. 

 

"Do you want to know why?" He asked roughly, voice full of emotion. "Because eight days ago, I was pushed from your hospital room as you fucking hemorrhaged. Louis, you practically bled out in front of me, and you flat lined. _Flat lined_. I had to wait in agony as they did everything they could to make you better, and I didn't hear anything for nine hours."

 

He took a shaky breath before continuing. His eyes were full of tears and Louis' were too. "And then, I was standing in front of the nursery for nine hours, just staring at those two little babies over there, thinking, what happens if I have to take them home without their mum? What if I have to tell Bean and Lucas that Mummy is never coming home-" He let out an embarrassing sob, throat tight. "What if I have to raise these four beautiful babies alone?"

 

Louis' tears were falling down the sides of his face and his lower lip was trembling. Harry looked worse; he looked tired and so incredibly sad. He watched as Harry broke down completely. Louis shook him until they were in a position comfortable enough for Louis to console Harry; with Harry laying on his side, face buried in Louis' chest, arm and leg slung over his body, and with Louis petting his hair. 

 

"And when I was let back into your room, after everything," Harry whispered. "You looked so damn tired, and your skin was pale but you were smiling. And when I saw that, it's like everything flew out the window. I could just hold you again. I could kiss you and physically take you into my arms." He stuttered, and before he knew it, he was bawling. 

 

Harry let out all of the emotions he felt the past eight days-fear, anger, sadness, and joy. He couldn't ever picture his life without Louis, and for a brief, fleeting moment, he had too. He had to picture waking up alone, staring at the empty side of the bed where Louis used to lay. He had to picture himself opening their drawers and seeing something of Louis'. He had to picture himself explaining to his sons more than once where their mum went, and why he wasn't coming home. 

 

He had to picture wearing a wedding ring and having no husband to come home too. 

 

He was sure that he'd made a mess over Louis' shirt and a complete fool of himself, so he sniffled and tried to school his features. Louis' fingers were still tangled up in Harry's curls and he was still crying. 

 

"I really love you." Louis admitted, bringing a small hand up to his cheek and wiping the tears away. "Why haven't you told me any of this?"

 

Harry shrugged. He had no legitimate reason for not telling Louis. "I couldn't bring myself to talk about it. It was too fucking scary and I _never_ want that to happen again." He used his thumbs to wipe the rest of Louis' tears. "And I love you so much, baby. You have no idea how much I love you."

 

Louis shook his head. "No, I think I do."

-

 

 "Are you sure you want to?" Harry turned the vehicle off, turning to Louis, who was sitting in an awkward yet comfortable position next to him. Because it was December 16th, and they had yet to get a Christmas tree, Louis was very adamant about them getting one. 

 

He nodded and turned to Harry. "I really want to do this. If I feel tired, I can come and sit in the car." He promised. He had his c-section nine days ago, and it still hurt like a bitch when he coughed or sneezed, but he found that walking slowly wouldn't hurt that much. "I've been taking my pain meds, and I've got some surgical tape on the incision."

 

Harry still looked skeptical. This was their first outing with the two new babies, and he was afraid of anyone hurting them. Louis placed his hand over Harry's. 

 

"Bean and Lucas have been excited for a tree, and I don't want my surgery keeping them away from one." Louis explained. Harry finally nodded and got out of the car. He unbuckled Bean and Lucas' car seats, attaching a safety harness to each (it had a pretty cool backpack on the back, which is the only reason Bean let it slide that he was practically on a leash). Once that was all done, he slid on a twin body wrap that Louis had bought online, adjusting the strap. Next, he picked up one bundled up baby and situated him in the wrap. He lifted the next one and did the same, making sure that they were both covered and comfortable. 

 

Louis was climbing down out of the vehicle when he was done. Louis took one look at him and began to giggle, hiding his mouth behind the emerald green scarf he was wearing. "You look like a disgruntled nanny." 

 

Harry looked down at the twins, who were sleeping peacefully, warm and cozy, to his other two children on a leash. Then he shrugged. "Drastic times call for drastic measures." They began to walk to the row of large Christmas trees, stopping to analyze each one. Louis was walking slowly, so Harry slowed his own pace and kept one hand on the small of his back, while the other hand had the two leashes wrapped around it. 

 

"These are hardly drastic times." Louis replied, inspecting a tree closely. Harry kept a steadying hand on him. He was so much more careful with Louis, he was now even more delicate than before, a fragile piece of porcelain that Harry would protect with his life. 

 

The first few trees weren't even close to what they wanted, and finally Bean pointed one out, getting Lucas to join him. It was a tall Douglas fir, full and a beautiful green color. So, this was their tree. Thank God that it was already cut, because Harry didn't have the energy cut the tree, not like he could anyway. So, he paid one of the men there to haul it to the Escalade and tie it on.

 

He put the kids in their seats before helping Louis up, because it was harder to get into the tall car than get in it. Before the could pull out of the parking lot, one of the babies began to cry. 

 

"Hand him to me," Louis said, unbuckling his seatbelt and shrugging his coat off gently. Harry just looked at him. "What?"

 

"You're going to feed him right here?" Harry asked incredulously. Louis nodded slowly. 

 

"It's better than driving with a crying baby. Besides, the windows are tinted. Just reach back and unbuckle whichever one is crying and pass him up." Louis balled his coat up and sat it on his lap. Harry decided to roll with it and he unbuckled, turning on his knees in the seat and reaching to unbuckle Theo, who was the one crying. He handed the wailing baby to Louis, who adjusted the baby and brought him to his nipple. Once Theo was near the source of the milk, he stopped crying and latched on. 

 

"Piece of cake," Louis said, turning so that his back was to the door, just in case the windows suddenly became nonexistent. He pulled his phone out and began clicking on it with a thumb. "My mum wants to know when she can come and get the boys this weekend."

 

Harry shrugged and leaned back in his own seat. "Whenever, I guess. I assume we're decorating the tree tonight?" Louis nodded. Harry looked behind him at Lucas and Bean, who reading a book together.  

 

"We can just get dinner on the way home...actually, I can cook." Louis said nonchalantly, hoping that Harry wouldn't object, but damn Harry and his superior hearing. He shook his head and turned the car on, heating it up. 

 

"No way. We're ordering out. You're not going to be on your feet for longer than necessary." He said, fiddling with the radio dials. Louis nodded. There was no use in arguing. 

 

"Well, I need to shower tonight." It was true, his hair was messy and he just never felt clean after a bath. Showers made him feel refreshed and clean. 

 

"Alright, do you want to do it before or after Bean and Lucas go to sleep?" Harry asked. 

 

"Oh, I can do it by myself." Louis replied quickly. He was so self-conscious of his body now, and nothing that Harry could say would make it better. It would be different if he didn't have a c-section scar, but he just hated it. He knew that he shouldn't be concerned over it because he had his two children that way, and Harry didn't marry him for his body, but he couldn't help but think things about it. 

 

"Or not." Harry said, taking Theo from Louis, standing on his knees to buckle the infant in his car seat. "You aren't stepping foot into that shower without me."

 

"But Harry-" Louis protested. Harry slid back around and buckled himself in, shooting Louis a look. 

 

"No buts. You could fall and hurt yourself even more." Harry put the car in drive and drove away from the Christmas tree lot. The snow wasn't that heavy, but they were expecting quite a few inches of snow and ice over the next few days. Louis would have to go shopping before it got too bad.

 

Louis would have to be naked in front of Harry sometime, so why not now. He would squash his issues down and let Harry shower with him. No big deal. Probably. 

-

 

After a dinner of Chinese (honestly, Harry was getting sick of it-but there was no way he was telling Louis; the boy would probably end up in tears. He was very emotional), Harry pulled out the decorations for the tree that he had to haul in-with minimal cursing. He was handing Bean and Lucas some plastic bulbs to hang on the bottom of the tree while he put the more expensive, breakable ornaments on the middle and top. 

 

Louis was sitting on the couch, holding his babies in a comfortable football hold, feeding them both. It was difficult to tandem feed at first, but he's since become a pro. They were both eagerly sucking on his nipples, eyes closed. Harry kept glancing over at them, and Louis could probably wager a safe bet that Harry was getting turned on. 

 

The tree decorating didn't last too long because Lucas kept coming over to the couch to sleep, and Bean latched onto Harry's leg and hung there until Harry picked him up. He scooped Lucas up and headed upstairs to get them ready for bed. 

 

Louis stayed downstairs, with the apparently starving babies. He hasn't mastered walking up the stairs with even one baby, so carrying both would be extremely difficult. He would wait for Harry to come and get them. 

 

He finished up feeding the babies just as Harry entered the den, hair pushed back in a head scarf. He lifted Ollie up and began to peck his soft little face with kisses. Louis stood with Theo, hobbling slightly to stand next to Harry. 

 

"You good?" Harry asked him. "I can carry them both." 

 

Louis pushed past him and began his slow trek to the stairs. "Because you're a giant." He muttered. He could carry his baby up the stairs, for heavens sake. At least he hoped he could. He heard Harry sigh from behind him and felt his giant hand come to rest on his lower back. 

 

They made it up the stairs slowly but surely and changed the babies in sync, dressing them warmly and laying them together. They always branded themselves to each other, and it was the cutest thing ever. Once they made sure that both babies were sleeping peacefully, they walked towards the bathroom. 

 

"Can we keep the light off?" Louis asked hopefully. Harry just shook his head and closed the bathroom door so that the noise wouldn't wake the babies. They needed a break. Louis sighed and fiddled with the hem of his shirt, not wanting to pull it off. 

 

Harry sat on the closed toilet and brought Louis to stand in front of him, hands resting on his rounded out hips. He resisted the urge to squeeze them. "Baby, why are you so shy all of a sudden?"

 

Louis shrugged meekly. "I just don't feel...you know, comfortable." He whispered. Harry leaned forward and rested his forehead gently on Louis' tummy, kissing it over the material of his t shirt. 

 

"I don't know why. You're perfect. Why do you need to be embarrassed in front of me?" It was an honest inquiry. He had made sure to make Louis feel nothing short of beautiful and perfect, both when he was and wasn't pregnant. It was all true. Louis was breathtaking in either form. 

 

Louis shrugged again. He really had no answer for Harry. "I just think it might be all in my head." 

 

When Harry stood, he brought the edge of Louis' shirt with him, gently pulling it over Louis' head and tossing it in the dirty laundry. Louis' arms went to cover his stomach, but Harry stopped him. 

 

"Stop being embarrassed." He ordered. "Stop being so self-conscious. That's where our babies came out. It's nothing but beautiful and you will look at it like that, understand?"

 

Louis nodded quickly and Harry wrapped him up in a hug. He had taken his shirt off, and it was skin-to-skin, and Louis missed it so much. It made the hug ten times more intimate. 

 

"Are you ready to shower?" Harry mumbled into Louis' ear. Louis shook his head and Harry stepped back to help him shuck his pants off. After doing the same, Harry stepped over to the shower and turned the nozzle on. It began to spray hot water. He grabbed Louis' hand and helped him into the shower, making sure he wouldn't slip on the slick surface. 

 

Once they were both under the hot spray, they stood for a few minutes, Harry holding Louis and Louis' face tucked into his chest. 

 

"I love you." Harry murmured under the warm spray. 

 

"I love you too." Louis replied, kissing the two new tattoos Harry had gotten the day after Louis had the twins. They were settled right under Bean and Lucas' tattoos. 

 

Harry washed Louis' hair for him. Lifting his arms still pulled on his incision a bit and Harry didn't want him to be in any sort of pain. He scrubbed Louis' body and took extra care around his incision. He massaged Louis' shoulders for a bit, watching as Louis became a pliant mess. 

 

Once they were both clean and warm, he led them out of the shower and towel dried Louis, patting his incision dry. In the bedroom, he dressed Louis in some loose cotton panties and an oversized t-shirt. Louis shook his head at pants because they sometimes irritated his incision. He helped Louis into bed and got dressed himself, crawling up next to Louis. 

 

"Feel better?" He asked. Louis nodded and curled up as best as he could next to Harry. "Good. I love you." 

 

"I love you too."

-

 

"Just tell me when you're done so I can put them back in their beds." Harry muttered from beside Louis. He was laying down, face smashed in a pillow. It was two in the morning and both babies woke up screaming for food. Harry had to trudge over and lift them both up so that Louis could tandem feed them. 

 

"Alright." Louis replied quietly. Both babies were eating happily, eyes closed and content. "They'll need diaper changes, too. But I can do that if you don't want too."

 

"I'll do it. You have the hardest job, after all." Harry told him. It was true, if Louis had to feed two babies at the same time, Harry was going to everything else. 

 

"Alright, you can sleep for a bit. I think they're going to be here for awhile." 

 

With that permission, Harry closed his eyes and drifted back to sleep. Louis was right, the babies weren't done for the next twenty minutes, eating off and on. Once they were both slack against him, he nudged Harry awake. 

 

"Diaper time." He said, and Harry wordlessly stood and took the babies, carrying them over to the changing table. He undressed them, and changed them, and undressed them again. Before he laid them down, he gave them little kisses.

 

The babies fell right to sleep, and Harry crawled back into bed and tugged the covers up over him. Louis made a noise of protest and tugged them back over himself. Harry was a cover hog.

 

"Louis, stop." He snapped tiredly. He wasn't in the mood for anything but sleep right now. Especially if he was going to be getting up again in two hours to get the babies.

 

Louis let the covers go and turned as best as he could, laying partially on his side with a pillow stuffed under his side. He sighed and closed his eyes, drifting to sleep. He didn't really need any blankets anyway.

-

 

"Jesus Christ-Louis." Harry muttered at five a.m. The babies hadn't woken up yet, surprisingly, and Harry's internal alarm woke him up. He turned to see Louis sleeping soundly, with no covers on him at all. He vaguely remembered snapping at Louis for trying to cover himself up, and he cursed himself in shame.

 

He shifted the blankets from himself to Louis, tucking him in and making sure he was warm and comfortable.  He threw his legs over the side after planting a kiss to Louis cheek and checked on the babies. They were sleeping soundly, tucked in together warmly. He admired them, so sweet and tiny. 

 

He left the bedroom and walked down the hallway, past the boys' room. The door was open, as it always was so that Duke could roam the house. 

 

"Dada?" He heard a small voice say. He stopped and looked in the bedroom. Bean was sleeping in his crib, laying on his tummy. Lucas was standing up in his, clutching the railing tightly. He grinned when Harry walked in. 

 

"Hey there, baby." He whispered, lifting Lucas out of his crib. He kissed his soft cheek. "Why are you up so early, hm?" He carried Lucas over to the changing table and changed his diaper and dressed him in something warmer. 

 

"Dada." Lucas said once he was upright in Harry's arms again, hands holding Harry's face. 

 

"Lucas." Harry kissed his nose and carried him downstairs, whistling for Duke. He let the dog out through the doors in the den. The little boy curled himself up in Harry's arms, tiny little hands wrapped around Harry's neck and his eyes were wandering around the room, landing on the beautifully lit Christmas tree. 

 

"Are you hungry?" Harry asked, walking into the kitchen. He felt Lucas nod his head against his shoulder. "What would my Lucas like to eat?" He opened the refrigerator. He pulled out some organic yogurt and some Cheerios down from the cabinets. He sat Lucas down on the counter and pulled a spoon out. He fed Lucas some small spoonfuls of yogurt, smiling down at his second born. 

 

"Dada." Lucas smiled up at him, little teeth white. He stuffed a handful of Cheerios in his mouth and looked around the dark kitchen. The sun wouldn't come up in a few more hours. 

 

"I love you, Lucas." Harry told him, feeding him another spoonful of yogurt. Once the little container was empty and the handful of Cheerios had been eaten, he made a sippy cup of milk and let Lucas drink it on the way back upstairs with Duke. He placed the toddler into his crib and tucked him in, kissing his forehead. Lucas smiled at him around his sippy cup and turned on his side. 

 

He left Duke in the room and entered the master bedroom, where Louis was standing up from the bed. 

 

"What are you doing up?" He asked, walking over to Louis. 

 

"Thought I heard one of the babies." He said, leaning into Harry's touch. Harry smoothed his hand down the crumpled shirt Louis was wearing. As if on cue, one of the babies let out a whimper and they could see his little feet kicking in the air. 

 

"Sit down, I'll bring them to you." Harry said, easing Louis into a seated position. He lifted the crying baby (Ollie) and carried him over to Louis. He was hungry, and he proved it by attaching himself to Louis' nipple quickly. Once Ollie had developed a rhythm, Louis turned to Harry. 

 

"Are you still going to New Zealand on the first?" He asked. 

 

"Well," Harry began, sitting down next to Louis and leaning back. "I wasn't planning on it. You need me here."

 

"I can easily have my mum come and stay with me. It's just eight days." Louis told him. "I think you should go. It's your business, and you need to be there. It's not fair for you to expect Liam to go by himself. He has a new baby too."

 

"Yes, but I've got _two_ new babies, and two toddlers." Harry reminded him. He sighed. He really wanted to go to New Zealand. It was a business deal as big as the one from Bora Bora. His business was growing internationally. 

 

"Harry," Louis said in the tone he normally reserved for the boys when they were doing something they weren't supposed to be doing. It was his Mummy voice. "I want you to go. You're going to be sulking and kicking yourself if you don't." 

 

"I wouldn't feel comfortable with you here alone with four children." Harry tried. 

 

"We've got a top of the line security system, and my mum and Dan will stay with me. I'll call Niall later and have him start packing Liam's suitcase." Louis said, standing. He adjusted his shirt and took Ollie back over to his bassinet, laying him down. "I'll start packing yours later tonight. God knows you can't pack right." 

 

Harry watched as Louis fussed over the two babies, making sure they were comfortable. Theo was still sleeping like a rock, and Ollie plastered himself to Theo and closed his own little eyelids. 

 

"So," Louis said, turning and walking back over to the bed. "That means if you want any shirts or pants steamed and pressed, I'll need them at least two days before the first. You can't forget, because then I'll forget." 

 

He laid himself down on his back and turned to face Harry, who was staring lovingly at him. "Are you listening to me?" 

 

Harry smiled and nodded, cupping Louis' cheek with his hand and kissing him softly. "Every word, darling." He promised. He pulled the covers up and made sure that Louis was under them. "Now, go back to sleep. You can get a few more hours in." 

 

Louis nodded and closed his eyes. "Wake me up if Theo starts to cry." He mumbled, already half-asleep. 

 

Harry just smiled and shook his head, closing his own eyes. "Not a chance." 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> trigger warning: snowstorms? blackout?
> 
> i thought id put those there just in case. my niece freaks the fuck out whenever there's a snowstorm and she freaks the fuck out whenever the power goes out with them, so idk if its a trigger or not. better safe than sorry
> 
> im so disappointed with this chapter

Louis' birthday was a small affair. Because he had just had a c-section eighteen days prior and he was still incredibly sore, they had a low-key night together. They shipped Bean and Lucas off to his mums house for the night and Harry ordered fish and chip meals from Baileys and cracked open some ginger ale, seeing as Louis couldn't drink while breastfeeding. 

 

They ate sitting on pillows and blankets in front of the fireplace-that and the Christmas tree the only things providing the room with soft light. The twins were sleeping soundly, having just been fed bottles. Everything was calm and quiet and they were both more relaxed than they'd been since they brought the twins home. 

 

They would usually be doing some sort of sexual activity right about now, but Louis was still so exhausted from the surgery and having to take care of the twins every two hours, and Harry was more than happy to just sit with him on the floor and watch the flames dance around in the fireplace. 

 

When they were done with their fish and chips, Harry cleaned up the mess and retrieved a pint of Ben & Jerry's Cheesecake Brownie and two spoons. He turned the television on and they watched  _It's a Wonderful Life_ , one of Louis' favorite Christmas movies. They dug their spoons in and enjoyed the frozen treat together, curled up and happy. 

 

Harry was content with just looking at Louis instead of the movie, and he did. The television mixed with the fireplace and the Christmas tree created a soft, glowing light on Louis' face, lighting him up and also causing shadows. He looked over at Duke, who was sleeping near the fireplace, keeping warm. The twins were still sleeping together in their little nappers, and the tree had an abundance of presents under it. 

 

It was a picture perfect sight.

-

 

The picture perfect illusion was shattered fifteen hours later, when there was wrapping paper and toys scattered across the den floor, twins crying, Bean shouting, Duke barking, and the smoke alarm in the kitchen going off. Harry was slumped over in a plush armchair, massaging his fingertips into his temples, trying to block out the noise. 

 

He could see Louis leaning over one of the twins, lifting him up and cooing softly. Robin and Dan were sitting on the floor with Lucas, playing with him. Bean was raising hell, as usual, with Duke, and Anne and Jay were in the kitchen, just now getting the smoke alarm to stop blaring. He was vaguely aware of Louis waving his hand in front of his face, breaking him out of his trance. 

 

"I asked if you could get Theo?" Louis said in an exasperated tone. He was bouncing Ollie in his arms, a frown etching his beautiful face. Harry nodded wordlessly and stood, walking over to lift an angry Theo out of his napper. He took the bottle of milk Louis was handing him and sat back down, sliding the nipple between Theo's red lips. His cries ceased immediately, and Ollie wasn't crying anymore. The house was instantly calmer. 

 

Jay appeared in the doorway, holding a dish towel. "Our apologies for the smoke alarm," She said. "The gravy wasn't cooperating, but everything is under control and dinner is ready." With a smile, she retreated back into the kitchen. Dan and Robin followed eagerly, each holding a toddler. 

 

Harry surveyed the room, noticing that Dan and Robin must have picked up the trash and organized the toys, because it was less messier than before. He looked back down at Theo, who was staring up at him with his cloudy blue eyes. Harry wondered if they would change to green or turn to a beautiful crystal blue. He ran his fingertip across the baby's soft skin, through his wispy hair. 

 

Theo reached a hand up and wrapped it around Harry's pointer finger, causing Harry's heart to swell and melt at the same time. His baby's fist was so small around his finger proving how small and delicate he really was. Harry smiled down at Theo, and Theo shook Harry's finger up and down in response. 

 

The bottle was drained in no time, and Theo was gurgling tiredly up at Harry. He lifted the small baby onto his shoulder and rubbed his back, patting it firmly but gently. The baby burped and Harry laid him back down, wiping the excess milk from his little lips. He pressed a kiss to Theo's forehead and stepped back. 

 

Louis stood next to him, lowering Ollie down next to Theo. Harry wrapped his arm around Louis' shoulders and kissed his soft, feathery hair. 

 

"Hungry?" He asked. Louis nodded, and they walked into the kitchen. Lucas and Bean were sitting in their high chairs, scarfing down food like they were starving. Dan and Robin were on a discussion about footie, and Anne and Jay were fussing about something. Harry pulled Louis' chair out for him and sat down next to him. He leaned over and filled their plates, handing one to Louis. 

 

The food was cooked to perfection, even the pesky gravy. They talked about an array of topics, but they mainly stayed around the topic of the twins. Jay and Anne were already so in love with the two boys who weren't even a month old yet. Of course, they gave Bean and Lucas their much needed attention. 

 

After dinner, Anne and Jay cleaned the kitchen while Dan and Robin cleaned the den up some more, giving Louis and Harry a break to just sit on the couches and rest. They didn't stay for much longer after that, noticing that both of the boys were clearly exhausted. 

 

The families left out the door, trekking across the snow to their vehicles, waving. Once they were down the street, Harry closed the door and turned to Louis, who was standing behind him. It was only eight o'clock, but they were both ready for bed. Harry collected Bean and Lucas and carried them upstairs. Louis fed the twins bottles while he waited, and they were both asleep when Harry took them upstairs. 

 

Once the house was quiet and all four boys were asleep, Harry and Louis crawled into bed, exhaustion seeping into their bones. They barely mumbled a goodnight to each other before they were asleep. 

-

 

"Eight days?" Louis mumbled in Harry's direction, pulling some dress shirts from Harry's closet and surveying them. He was an expert at folding Harry's clothes so that they didn't get even the smallest of wrinkles. He put three in Harry's suitcase, along with the suit pants and jackets. He also packed some briefs and sweatpants and a few ratty shirts for Harry to wear to bed. 

 

Harry was sitting on their bed, holding both twins on his chest while they were sleeping. He watched as Louis packed his suitcase with ease, flitting from the closet to the dresser to the suitcase. 

 

"And you need socks." Louis said, tucking Harry's dress shoes on the bottom of the suitcase, stuffing some dress socks in there as well. He planted his hands on his hips and bit his lip. "What am I missing?" He asked himself. "Nothing. It's good." He zipped the suitcase and moved on to Harry's travel bag. 

 

"Do you want your laptop or your iPad?" He asked Harry. "Or both?" Without waiting for an answer, he packed both, along with their chargers. He slid in an extra iPhone charger, just in case. He slid in some business magazines, knowing that Harry liked to read the articles about his own company. 

 

"And I think you're done." He turned to Harry and smiled brightly. "All set for tomorrow." 

 

Harry rubbed the twins' backs, looking at Louis. "I still don't feel comfortable leaving you here, even if it is with your mum and Dan." 

 

Louis crawled up the bed and laid down next to Harry. "We'll be fine, I promise. I'll update you every night and if I need you, I'll call you. Okay? Please don't worry about us the whole trip. You'll drive yourself mad and you won't be able to concentrate on your work." 

 

Harry chewed his lip. Louis was right. He turned and faced his husband. "You will call me if you need me to come home, alright?" He ordered. "And you will answer each time I call you." 

 

Louis nodded and closed his eyes. "I promise." He kissed Harry's bicep and curled up next to him, taking advantage of the four kids' nap time. 

-

 

"Try to sleep on the flight, please?" Louis asked Harry. They were standing on the porch, Louis wearing a pair of yoga pants and had a cardigan wrapped around himself. Harry was wearing a suit and a expensive coat. His bags were already packed in the Escalade. The winter wind was whipping around them, chilling them to the bones. 

 

Harry nodded and pulled Louis into a hug. "I'll try." He never slept on flights, and jet lag always hit him hard. It annoyed Louis when Harry refused to sleep. 

 

"It's a twenty-six hour flight. _Please_ sleep." Louis' words were muffled by Harry's coat. 

 

"Alright, I'll sleep." Harry promised. He had a business premier seat, and he would try to take advantage of the bed they provided. He held Louis tighter, kissing the crown of his head. "Now, I've got to go and pick up Liam." He had told Liam to be ready at two fifteen and it was already two. The flight left at three thirty in the evening and arrived at seven a.m in Auckland, on the third. 

 

Louis gripped him tighter and shook his head against Harry's chest. "Gonna miss you." He mumbled. Harry grinned and squeezed him back. 

 

"Gonna miss you too, love." He said, pulling back and staring at Louis. "I love you." 

 

"I love you too. Please call me when you get there." Louis asked, tilting his head up at Harry. He knew exactly what Louis wanted, too, and he swooped down and pressed his lips to Louis. 

 

"I will." He said, stepping back. "Now, I've got to go. Take care of my babies." He pressed one last kiss to Louis' forehead before walking down the steps. He had already said goodbye to the boys before their nap times, which was best, because he knew that he would never be able to leave if he was saying goodbye to them now. 

 

Louis waved to him until he couldn't see the Escalade anymore, and he turned to go back into the house. He let Duke out through the den and sat on the couch. His mum said that she would be around this evening, so he relaxed and let his eyes slip shut. 

-

 

A shrill cry woke him with a start. For a moment, he forgot where he was. One look around the room and he remembered that he had dozed off on the couch. He stood and looked around. Duke was waiting by the french doors, wanting to be let in. Louis opened them and the dog bounded in happily, shaking snow off of him. He had white speckles in his fur, and he went to lay near the fireplace. 

 

Louis looked outside. It was snowing rapidly, white flakes falling down. The ground had at least an inch on it. He closed the doors and locked them. He searched for his phone, finding it on the kitchen counter. He rang his mum. 

 

"Louis, dear!" She spoke. "I was just about to call you." 

 

"Where are you?" He asked, sitting on a stool. 

 

"I'm afraid there is no way that I can get over there." She said. "The roads over here are horrible." How long has it been snowing?

 

"Um," Shit. Now what was he supposed to do. "Okay. I'll  think of something. I've got to go, though. I think the babies are up." 

 

"Alright, dear. Stay safe, and I'll call you later, alright!" She hung up. Louis stood and rifled through the cabinets and the fridge. He'd never gotten around to shopping for the big snowstorm, which apparently, was already here. He dialed Niall's number while walking up the stairs. 

 

"Niall!" He exclaimed when the Irish boy picked up. "What are you doing?"

 

"Nothing, why?" Niall replied. Phew.

 

"Do you think you'd want to come over here and spend the week with us? My parents can't come over because their roads are bad."

 

"Of course. Do you need me to go grocery shopping before I come over?" He asked. "Because this thing is supposed to last for a few days, at least."

 

"That'd be great. If you stop by before you go, I'll give you my credit card." He rifled through his wallet and brought out the piece of shiny gold plastic.

 

"Alright, well, as soon as I get Finn and Charlotte dressed, I'll be over. I'll honk when I'm outside." Niall told him.

 

"Great. See you in a few." Louis hung up and made his way upstairs to check on the children. The twins were still sleeping, but Lucas and Bean weren't. They both squealed when Louis walked into the room.

 

"Mummy!" Bean cried, standing up and reaching for Louis. He let Louis lift him and put him on the floor, and then he was off like a shot. Louis laughed and lifted Lucas up, who was more than happy to rest his head on Louis' shoulder and sigh.

 

"I love you, my baby." Louis told him, rubbing his back through the soft, warm pajama set he was wearing. He walked back downstairs and looked outside. it was still snowing, and it hadn't let up. He put Lucas in the den with Bean when he heard a car horn.

 

He slipped on some Uggs and pulled his cardigan tight around his body before rushing outside and down the path to the street. Niall rolled down the passenger side window. Louis could see a fussy Finn squirming around in his car seat.

 

He handed Niall his credit card. "Go nuts. What's wrong with Finn?" He asked. Niall looked at his son through the rearview mirror.

 

"He wants to play with HJ." Niall said, pocketing the card.

 

"He can," Louis said. "I can take him. And Charlotte, if you want to shop in peace."

 

Niall mulled it over. "Finn can go. I still have to feed Charlotte."

 

Louis nodded and opened the door to unbuckle Finn. He hoisted the two year old down and held his hand to keep him from running anywhere. "Just call me if you have any problems, alright?" He told Niall.

 

Niall nodded and rolled up the window. Louis waved as he drove off. He turned back towards the house and led Finn carefully up the steps. Once they were inside, Finn raced to the den. As he was locking the door, he could hear Bean's squeals of excitement.

 

He smiled to himself and walked upstairs to retrieve the twins. Ollie was awake and he reached for Louis. Theo was still sleeping, so that gave Louis time to carry Ollie downstairs and put him comfortably in his napper before going back upstairs to get Theo.

 

Once his four boys plus Finn were downstairs, he put in a movie and covered the three boys up with a blanket. He lit the fireplace and put the protective gate across it before entering the kitchen. It was around five-thirty, so he'd better start on dinner.

 

He pulled some stuff out of the fridge and out of the pantry and began working on a chicken potpie, knowing that the children would get full on it quickly. He began preparing the dish and was putting it in the oven when his phone rang.

 

He answered it without looking at the caller ID. It was Harry. "Hey, love." Harry said.

 

"Hey," Louis closed the oven door and began to clean up his mess. "How's the fight so far?"

 

"Decent. I'm already sick of being on it." Harry responded.

 

"Only twenty three more hours." He giggled. "It started snowing here."

 

"Really?" Harry asked. "It looked clear when I left."

 

"Well, after you left, I took a nap while waiting for my mum to get here, and when I woke up, it was snowing."

 

"Is your mum there now?" Harry asked.

 

"Well..."

 

"Louis."

 

"No. But Niall is." Louis told him.

 

" _Louis_." Harry sighed. "Between the two of you, you're going to take care of six kids for a week?" 

 

"Don't say it like we can't." Louis defended. "We can. It's better than both of us being alone. Besides, the storm is getting pretty bad and Niall is grocery shopping. It's like a slumber party." 

 

Harry sighed once more. "I don't know how I feel about this." He said. "But, there's not much I can do about it from thirty thousand feet, and I don't want you to be alone. Just keep me updated, alright?"

 

"Deal." 

 

"Now, I've got to go.  I love you." 

 

"I love you too." He hung up the phone and sat it on the clean counter. He checked on the boys and decided to call Niall when the door from the garage opened. Niall bustled in, holding Charlotte. Louis took the baby from him and sat her in one of his kids' baby bouncer. 

 

He went out into the garage to help Niall carry in the bags of groceries. Once they were all in, he locked the garage door and began putting everything away. Niall got all of the necessities and then some. It was clear that he was under the impression that they would get six feet of snow. But, better safe than sorry. 

 

"Where's Finn?" Niall asked, sliding the rather large cartons of eggs he had gotten into the fridge. 

 

"He's watching a movie with the boys." Louis replied, standing on his tiptoes to slide some canned food into the pantry. Niall hummed from behind him and folded a reusable bag. 

 

"He's been going crazy, wanting to spend the night again with Bean." Niall said. 

 

Louis laughed. "Tell me about it. Bean has been the same way. And now they get to spend seven days with each other." They finished putting the groceries away, and the oven timer beeped when they were folding the last bag. He put on some oven mitts and slid the food out, sitting it on the counter. 

 

He cut it and dished it out, wanting to cool it off a bit before giving it to the boys. He took organic juice pouches from the refrigerator and opened them, handing them to Niall. "They can eat while watching their movie. As long as they're quite, the twins are quiet." He explained, balancing three bowls in his hand and walking towards the den. He sat them down on the coffee table and Niall sat the juice down. 

 

"Eat slowly." Niall instructed. All three boys nodded, eyes glued to the exciting movie. 

 

"I'd better feed the twins while they're still calm." Louis said, entering the downstairs guest room, where he had laid the twins on the bed earlier, protected by pillows. They were both awake and gurgling. "Hi, precious babies!" He cooed. He had two sets on blue eyes on him, both babies smiling. 

 

He situated himself on the bed, between the twins, and sat a pillow in his lap. He shrugged his shirt off gently and lifted them up, one by one, until they were in a football hold and eating happily. He watched them until they were done eating, and then he changed diapers and laid down with them until they were sleeping once more. 

 

He got up from the bed and looked outside. The snow was still falling rapidly, showing no signs of stopping. He hoped that the weather hadn't followed Harry's plane. The last thing he needed was to worry about Harry for the next seven days. 

 

He left the bedroom and entered the den. He let Duke out of the french doors and watched as the dog galloped into the deep snow, biting at the falling flakes. Louis stood by the door and watched him, ready to call him back in as soon as he was done. He didn't want Duke outside for long in this weather. Once Duke was done, he whistled him back inside and closed and locked the doors, shivering from the chill. 

 

"I'm going to plug my phone in, just in case." He told Niall, walking to the kitchen to get his. Niall nodded and followed, plugging his in next to Louis'. "I really hope the power doesn't go out. But it looks like it could."

 

"I'm going to go out and get our stuff out of the car." Niall said. "I'll be right back in." 

 

"And I'm going to go upstairs and get some stuff." He left the kitchen and headed upstairs, where he got some fleece blankets and some candles, just in case. He gathered some supplies for the twins, like their diapers and wipes, and headed downstairs. The sun had set about an hour ago, and the sky was a purple-black. Just as he sat everything down on the floor, the lights flickered. 

 

"Well," Niall said, lighting the fire. "Looks like you were right." 

 

Louis nodded and sat the stack of blankets on the floor by the couch, where the boys were still working on their dinner. "I'm going to go call Harry and explain to him what's happening." He grabbed his phone and dialed Harry's number, leaning onto the counter as to not stretch the cord. He was thankful that Harry was travelling on an international airplane, so that he could make and take calls.

 

 After a few rings, Harry picked up. "Hey, love." He sounded groggy. 

 

"Did I wake you?" Louis asked. 

 

"I was just taking a short nap. I was about to get up anyway." Harry told him. "What's up?"

 

"I just called to tell you that it's snowing pretty hard here. And the lights flickered a few minutes ago, so the power might go out." 

 

"That's not good at all." Harry worried. "How are you going to deal with that?" 

 

"Well, I've gotten the blankets from upstairs, and if the power does go out, we have the fireplace, and we'll just sleep downstairs in front of it. And I have candles?" 

 

"Good boy. You sound prepared. What about food?" 

 

"Niall picked up some things to last us if we do get snowed in." 

 

"Very good. I'm proud of you for thinking of everything beforehand." Harry praised. 

 

Louis smiled. "I've got four children to keep warm, Harry." He bit his lip. "Of course I'm thinking."

 

"I know, baby. Now, if the power does go out and you can't charge your phone, I've got two Mophie phone cases upstairs. They'll charge your phone up fully once you clip them on. Give one to Niall and one for yourself. I highly doubt that the electric company will keep the power off for more than twelve hours after it goes out, so if it does go out, expect it to be back on tomorrow morning, early."

 

"Got it." Louis turned, looking out the window. "I miss you."

 

"I miss you too, love." Harry replied. 

 

"Where are you?" 

 

"Almost to Los Angeles. About another hour and I'll be there." 

 

"I forgot you had a few stops." 

 

"But hey, it's a two hour layover. Think I can nap in two hours?" Harry asked. 

 

"I think you can. At least try. I know you won't have any time to rest when you get to Auckland." 

 

"That's my boy, always taking care of me." Harry was smiling, Louis could tell. 

 

"Always. So what happens after LA?"

 

"Well, I hop back on the plane around nine and arrive in Auckland at seven. After Liam and I check into our hotel, we go straight to the business meetings, which last all day." Harry told him. "Then, if they like us, we go back, and then on the third day, we meet with the CEO, and then if he likes us, we seal the deal. On the fourth day, we announce it with a press conference, and, if we're lucky, we can come back on the fifth day." 

 

"Don't have too much fun." Louis giggled. Just imagining four days of business meetings bored him to death. 

 

Harry laughed on the other end. "I can promise you that I won't. I'd rather be at home playing with my lovely children." 

 

"Bean hasn't asked about you yet." Louis said. "I think he's finally getting to the age where he actually understands what we tell him."

 

"I miss my Bean. And Lucas, and the twins. I miss you, too." 

 

"I know. So, sleep in LA, and then please sleep on the plane. It's a what-thirteen hour flight from LA to New Zealand?"

 

"Very good. Yes, thirteen hours, give or take. Louis, baby, I will sleep, alright?" 

 

"Good. Great. Okay, I'd better go. It's bedtime here." He craned his head and looked in the den. The three boys were laying against each other, battling sleep to watch the television. 

 

"Give my babies my love, okay?" Harry asked. "And I love you."

 

"I will, and I love you too. Um, can you call me when you get to Auckland?" Louis asked. "If you don't have time, I understand, but I'll worry otherwise."

 

Harry huffed a small laugh. "I'll call you, alright? Can't have my best boy worrying about me." 

 

"Alright, now I really have to go. I've still got to put the three boys to bed and feed the other two. I love you."

 

"I love you too, love. Get some sleep." Harry said. 

 

"You too." Louis said. He waited until Harry hung up before laying his phone down on the counter. Niall had come back in a few minutes ago with their clothes for the week, and he was dressing Finn in his pajamas when Louis entered the den. 

 

"Alright," He said. "I can pop open the pack and play, and the three boys can sleep in that, and the twins can sleep in the bassinet I have down here. I can run upstairs and get one for Charlotte, and we can sleep in the guest bed. Sound good?" 

 

Niall nodded and patted Finn's bum, hoisting him up. "Anything is good. This one is dead on his feet." 

 

"So are mine. Let me change them and then we can put them to bed." Louis said. He gathered the clothes he brought down for them and began to dress the boys in warm pajamas. Once they were done and ready, he lead them into the guest bedroom. He got the pack and play out and set it up, with Niall's help. 

 

They kissed their children goodnight and lowered them into the crib. As soon as their heads hit the pillows, they were out. 

 

"That was easy." Niall commented, turning to change Charlotte and feed her once more before bed. Louis did the same with the twins, and pretty soon they were laying the babies down as well. 

 

"Almost too easy." Louis nodded, pulling back the blankets to the guest bed. 

 

"At least they went easy and didn't cry or anything." Niall slid into bed, leaving the door to the bedroom cracked open for Duke. 

 

"Thank God for that. And I'll try to keep the twins calm tonight." Louis promised, laying his head down on the soft cotton pillow. 

 

"Don't worry about it. I know how it is." Niall yawned. He leaned over and flicked his lamp off, shrouding the room in a soft darkness. "Goodnight Louis."

 

"Night, Niall."

-

 

Harry loosened his tie and stretched his long legs out in front of him. He held a glass of fine scotch in his hand and ran the other through his hair. It had been a successful four days, and he was so proud of himself and Liam. They had just gone out to a very fancy and expensive dinner with the CEO and board. And honestly, it was the most fun he'd had in a very long time. 

 

"Tell me Liam," Harry said, knocking back his scotch. He hadn't gone steady on the drinking, having scotch at the dinner table along with the other businessmen, and now he was working on his fourth glass. "Why did I get married?" 

 

Liam looked at him bewildered. "Because you love Louis?" He asked, already not liking where this conversation was headed. 

 

Harry laughed and shook his head. "No," He said. "Because I knocked him up."

 

"Harry.." Liam frowned slightly. Harry poured himself another scotch and continued. 

 

"It's true! I don't know if I would have married him at first. I mean, yeah I love him, but it's too much."

 

Liam looked at him warily, wondering if this was a conversation he wanted to be having. He finally sighed and jumped. "What's too much?"

 

"I'm almost thirty and I've got four kids." He said, swirling his drink. "That's a lot. And Louis and I haven't even been intimate since long before the twins were born."

 

"He's just had a major surgery," Liam defended. "You can't hold that against him."

 

"I'm not, don't get me wrong. I love the little buggers, but I definitely would've stopped at two."

 

"I've heard you say repeatedly that you wanted four kids before thirty?" Liam asked confusedly. 

 

Harry shook his head. "I don't know what I was thinking. Four is too much. Four is bad. I don't like Four. Two is good."

 

Liam sighed and shook his head back and forth slowly. "Harry, my friend, you're journeying into dangerous territory." He warned. 

 

"Am I though?" Harry looked up at him, staring into his eyes. "I miss the days where I can go out after work and drink with colleagues, flirt with a few people. The days before I got the call that I had finally gotten a match."

 

"Harry-" 

 

"Sometimes I don't want to go home, Liam." He said suddenly. "If I even go into the office at all, I don't want to go home. I want to rent a hotel room or even leave the city. I just want to drive as far away as I possibly can."

 

"Don't say that. You love your family. You love the home that Louis has made possible for you." 

 

Harry laughed sadly. "Sometimes I wish things were different. You know?" 

 

Liam shook his head. "I don't. I love going home to Niall. I find myself wanting to leave early to go and see my children." 

 

"Don't get me wrong," Harry told him. "I love Louis, and the children. But...I don't know. It's too much." 

 

Liam looked at him sadly. "You can't possibly think that it's any easier for Louis. He's got it ten times worse, you know? And he loves you with every fiber of his being, but..."

 

Harry raised his eyebrow. "But what?"

 

Liam took a breath. "I think that if he knew you felt this way...I think he'd choose the kids over you."

 

"As in?"

 

"As in, I think he'd leave you."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> BOOM


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> short and shitty

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter was extremely difficult to write  
> i had writers block every other word

The power did go out. Louis and Niall realized it had the morning after the snow first began to fall, when they saw the electric companies out on the street, fixing the problems. They wouldn't have known otherwise. They went along with the next six days stuck in the house because even though the roads were clear, they had nowhere to go. So, Louis inflated a baby pool and filled it with some plastic balls that Bean had gotten for his birthday. That seemed to grab the three older boys interest. 

 

Harry and Liam were due home tomorrow, and both boys were excited. They decided that Niall would go home at noon today, so both could have time to greet their husbands without being in each other's space. So, at noon, Louis helped Niall pack up and said goodbye to Finn and Charlotte, promising to call Niall later. After they left, the house was quieter than it had been the past week. 

 

It was nice, to just relax with his babies without having them causing trouble and getting into things, egged on by Finn. So, he was content to spend all day laying in sweatpants and one of Harry's large jumpers. He kept the children in their pajamas, and they all watched movies. Louis only got up to feed the twins and let them have tummy time. 

  
Around four, he decided that it would be a short day and he ordered dinner. The roads were good now, so he could now go shopping for more groceries. 

 

While he was waiting for the food, he let Duke outside and began to wipe the counters off and load the dishwasher. His incision still smarted a bit, but he felt that bending over slightly didn't hurt him as much anymore. Once the dishwasher was filled and running, he let Duke back in and went into the laundry room. He started a load in the washer and dryer. 

 

He left, closing the door so that Bean or Lucas couldn't toddle in there and get into the detergent. When he entered the kitchen, Harry was standing by the counter, pulling containers of food out of a brown paper bag. 

 

"They skipped out on the chopsticks again." Harry said nonchalantly. Louis dropped his jaw and smiled. He rushed around the counter and wrapped his arms around Harry. 

 

"What are you doing home?" He asked, standing on his tiptoes and grasping Harry's face between his hands. He pressed a kiss to Harry's mouth. "You're supposed to be home tomorrow evening!"

 

Harry didn't reciprocate the kiss, but Louis didn't notice. He fell flat on his feet and beamed up at Harry, who shrugged.

 

"I guess I could go and get back on it?" Harry said, pulling plates down from the cabinets. Louis shook his head.

 

"No!" He replied. "I'm just surprised. Let me take your coat." He went behind Harry and pulled the coat off of his broad shoulders. He folded it over his arms and stared at Harry. Seven days wasn't a real long time, but it was long enough. "I'll put this in the laundry and go get the boys. Have you seen them yet?"

 

Harry shook his head and poured some rice into a bowl for the two boys. "Nope."

 

Louis thought that it was weird that he hadn't immediately went to the boys, but he shrugged it off. He placed Harry's coat on top of the washer and walked to the den, grabbing Harry's arm and pulling him along.

 

"Boys," Louis said, grabbing their attention. Bean squealed and slid off the couch, running towards Harry and launching himself into his arms. Harry lifted him up hugged him tightly.

 

"Daddy." Bean kissed Harry's cheek and grinned at his Daddy, dimples popping out.

 

"Dada?" Lucas said from Harry's feet. He was holding himself up against Harry's pant leg.  Harry looked down at him and smiled dimly. Louis was a little thrown off that Harry didn't pick Lucas up. He knows Harry can do it, he's seen him carry both at the same time. 

 

"I'll take Bean and feed him. You can pick Lucas up." Louis stepped forward and took Bean from Harry's arms. The toddler made a noise of protest but he went with Louis nonetheless. Harry bent down and picked Lucas up. 

 

"Dada!" Lucas cheered, holding Harry's face between his small hands. "Dada." 

 

"Hey, buddy." Harry greeted, pressing a kiss to Lucas' button nose, making the toddler giggle and clap his hands. Harry followed Louis to the kitchen and put Lucas into his highchair, next to Bean. Louis had filled two bowls with little bits of each dish they ordered and placed them in front of the boys. 

 

He and Harry had just sat down to eat their own when a shrill cry came from the living room. Louis stood and went over to where the baby bassinets were in the den. It was Ollie who was crying, blue eyes searching the air above him. Louis lifted him up and turned around, successfully bumping into Harry. 

 

"Let me take him." Harry said, holding his arms out. After he said that, Ollie's cries weakened and he waved his hands. Louis handed him to Harry and watched as the baby stopped crying altogether and chewed on his hand.

 

"Another Daddy's boy." Louis muttered happily. He checked on Theo, who was sleeping soundly. "I think he just heard your voice and was angry that you weren't with him."

 

Harry only smiled and looked down at Ollie, who was staring up at him.

 

"If he's not hungry, he'll go right back to sleep. Otherwise, I'd better feed him now." Louis mentioned. Usually, Harry would tell him to go ahead and eat his dinner and grab a bottle from the fridge to feed him. But he didn't. He handed Ollie back to Louis and made his way to the kitchen.

 

Louis made himself comfortable on the couch and lifted his jumper. Ollie latched on right away, so Louis leaned back and closed his eyes, waiting for his baby to finish his dinner so that he could go eat his own.

 

Ollie only ate for a few minutes before pulling off and falling asleep. Louis lifted himself carefully and placed Ollie back into his bassinet, careful not to wake Theo up. After making sure that Ollie fell right to sleep, he went back into the kitchen to eat. 

 

He ate while Harry and the boys finished. Harry let them both out of their highchairs and began to put the food away. When Louis was done, he took the plate from him and started putting the dishes in the dishwasher. Louis grabbed a wet flannel and wiped the boys' hands and mouths down. 

 

"They're really tired," He said, tossing the flannel over the sink. "They got up pretty early. Do you want to put them to bed or take care of the twins?" 

 

Harry shrugged his shoulders. "I'll put them to bed." He said, leaving the kitchen and scooping the boys up. 

 

"Okay." Louis gathered a sleeping Theo in his hands and followed Harry up the stairs. He went into the master bedroom and laid Theo on the bed, in his little circle pillow. He did the same for Ollie, and a few minutes later, both babies were awake and gurgling, kicking their feet and waving their hands. 

 

Harry came in a few minutes later, stripping his shirt off and tossing it to the floor. "I'm taking a shower." He said. 

 

"Do you mind if I join you?" Louis turned to look at him. Harry stared at him before turning on his heel. 

 

"Yes." He closed the bathroom door after him and the lock clicked. Louis stared at the door in shock. Harry minded if Louis showered with him. It made him feel self conscious and, well...ugly. Like, because he was still a little rounded out from pregnancy, Harry didn't want to look at him. It made his cheeks heat in shame.

 

He swallowed around the lump in his throat and tried not to let it get to him. He blinked back a few hot tears and looked down at the babies, who were staring up at him. He sat back on the bed and fed Theo until he was full. Ollie didn't eat as much because he was still full from earlier. Once they were done, he changed them and dressed them warmly before laying them side by side in their bassinet. 

 

He pulled back the duvet and crawled into bed, staying on his side. Harry was still in the shower, which was unusual because Harry's showers didn't last that long. Unless he was pleasuring himself. But, they didn't do that anymore without the other. Harry wouldn't do that, though, would he?

 

He shook the thought from his mind and closed his eyes, pulling the covers up under his chin. Harry was just tired and sore from his plane ride. That's all. He waited until he heard the shower turn off and the door open. He could hear Harry puttering around their room, drying himself off and tugging on some sweats. He felt the bed dip, and the covers being shuffled.

 

He turned over, ready to curl up in Harry's arms, but he was met with Harry's covered back. He bit his lip and blinked a few times. He didn't understand why Harry was acting so...distant. It hurt him, it really did. HE carefully turned back over on his side, laying a small pillow in front of him. He waited for Harry's breathing to even out before he closed his own eyes.

-

 

Each time the babies cried in the night, which was three, Louis got up by himself. Harry stayed in bed. Louis didn't know if he was awake or not, but either way, it seemed like he was perfectly content with laying in bed while Louis took care of them.

 

Harry didn't get up until his alarm went off at five, waking Louis as well. Thankfully the alarm didn't wake the babies, because Louis doesn't know if he could get up even if he wanted too. So, he rolled over to his other side and watched as Harry stood from the bed and stretched.

 

"Why are you getting up so early?" Louis asked, yawning. Harry didn't even look back at him when he answered.

 

"Going into the office today." He replied, pulling his clothes off and walking to the closet in just his briefs. He pulled a suit down and slid on a white shirt.

 

"Why?" They'd never talked about Harry going back to work. Louis had no problem with it, but it seemed a little early to him. The twins were only a month old, and Louis was still in no position to take care of four kids by himself.

 

"Because I want too." Harry replied. "Go back to sleep."

 

"I can't take care of four children by myself, Harry." Louis protested. Harry shrugged on his suit jacket.

 

"That's really not my problem." Harry said. Louis threw the covers off of himself and stood.

 

"Yeah, it kind of is." Louis snapped. Harry looked up at him icily. "I need you here."

 

"Hire a babysitter." Harry pushed past him and went into the bathroom. Louis followed him.

 

"You would rather have a stranger here with your children than stay home from work? I can't believe you! You just got back from a week long trip and you won't even stop working to spend time with your family?"

 

"Now is not the time, Louis." Harry warned, running his fingers through his hair. Louis took a deep breath and turned on his heel. He grabbed Harry's phone along with his and went downstairs, where their keys were sitting in a glass bowl. He took the keys and powered the phones off. After looking and looking, he hid them in a plastic bag at the bottom of the sugar canister. 

 

He adjusted it and went back upstairs. Harry was still in the bathroom, brushing his teeth. Louis checked on the twins and crawled back into bed, pulling the covers back up and closing his eyes. He must have fallen back to sleep, because the next thing he knew, Harry was shaking his shoulder. Louis opened his eyes and was met with a very angry looking Harry. 

 

He noted bitterly that Harry's hand on his shoulder was the most contact they'd had since Harry got home. He sat up and looked at Harry. 

 

"Where are my keys?" Harry asked angrily. "And my phone?" 

 

Louis shrugged. "How should I know?" 

 

"You're not as convincing as you think you are." Harry gritted his teeth. "I know you know where they are."

 

"I can't seem to think of where I last saw them." Louis replied innocently. "And even if I did, I wouldn't tell you."

 

Harry's eyes narrowed. Louis continued. 

 

"You need to stay home. You've got four children who haven't seen you in a week. Not to mention I've missed you as well." Louis told him. "I get that you want to work, Harry, but you can't leave me here with four babies. I need you here with me." 

 

Harry stared at him for the longest time before nodding. He stood from where he was crouching and pushed Louis back against the bed, gently, and pulled the covers back over him. "Fine. Sleep. I'll stay." 

 

Louis curled up under the covers and closed his eyes. "I love you." He said before falling back to sleep. He wasn't even aware that Harry didn't say it back.

-

 

 Harry was sitting in his office, typing on his laptop, when his office door creaked open. He was about snap, thinking it was Louis, but looking up, he saw messy curls and bright green eyes. Bean toddled quickly through the room and climbed up on Harry's lap. 

 

"Daddy!" Bean exclaimed, kissing Harry's cheek. Harry looked at the clock. It was a little past eight, meaning that Lucas would be awake shortly, followed by the twins. He sighed and typed quicker. Bean watched in fascination as Harry's fingers flew over the keys. It looked like fun, so he reached a little hand forward and slapped his hands down on the keyboard. The screen flickered and everything that Harry was typing was deleted. 

 

He stared at the screen in shock. Bean looked up at him, smiling and giggling. Harry frowned down at the toddler and stood, sitting Bean on the floor. 

 

"Bad boy." He yelled. Bean frowned and looked up at his daddy. "That was very naughty, Bean. Daddy's very disappointed." 

 

Bean's bottom lip quivered and he burst into tears. Louis appeared in the doorway and looked at the sight; Harry standing at his full height, yelling down at Bean, who was sitting on his bottom and rubbing his eyes with his closed fists. 

 

"What's going on?" Louis asked, rushing over to Bean and lifting him up. The toddler buried his face in the crook of Louis' neck and cried softly. "Why are you yelling at him?"

 

Harry threw his hand out, gesturing to his laptop. "He erased my whole entire file!" Harry shouted. Louis held his hand over the back of Bean's head. 

 

"So?" Louis asked, slowly rocking his upset son back and forth. 

 

Harry's eyes went wide. "So? So? That was one of the most important documents I have ever worked on and now he completely destroyed it!" 

 

"So that gives you the right to yell and shout at him?" Louis stared up at Harry. "He's two!"

 

"Yes, it gives me the right to yell at him! He's been fucking things up since before he was born!" Harry yelled. He sat back down in his chair and held his hands in his face. Louis was standing completely still, eyes filling with tears as he held his baby. 

 

"What in the _hell_ , Harry?" Louis shouted back. "How can you say that?"

 

"Because it's true! Every single one of them has ruined everything!" Harry threw his hands up. 

 

"What are you talking about?" Louis was confused now. 

 

"I never wanted any of this. And now look," He laughed bitterly. "I've got four kids and a dog. I'm only thirty for Christ's sake. I should be out having fun."

 

"Oh, poor you. Thirty with four kids. I'm twenty two with four kids! Whom _I_ take care of, thank you." Louis held Bean tighter. "I did everything for you!" He was angry now. Harry looked up at him, stunned at the change of voice. "I put up with you even when I was scared to death of you! I gave you four children! I had to postpone my education because you couldn't keep it in your pants! So don't you _dare_ tell me that it's not what you wanted. If you didn't want this, you'd be long gone." He took a deep breath. "Actually, I want you to go."

  

Harry looked up at him and sighed. "I didn't mean-"

 

Louis shook his head. "No, I think you did. That's why I want you to go. Just...go." 

 

"You can't kick me out of my own house." Harry stood. 

 

"Then I'll go." Louis said. He turned his face away from Harry and left the room, walking to the master bedroom. Bean was still clutching onto him tightly, whimpering slightly. He laid the boy down on the bed and kissed his forehead. 

 

Harry came into the room just as Louis was pulling a suitcase out of the closet. "You can't possibly take all four of them." He told Louis. 

 

"I can't be near you for another moment longer." Louis choked out. It hurt him so deeply to say that. He never in a million years thought that he would ever say that. Harry looked shocked for a moment before nodding. 

 

"I'll go." He finally said, taking the suitcase from Louis. He sat it on the edge of the bed and lifted the top of it. He turned and started pulling clothes out of his drawers, gathering enough to last him God knows how long. 

 

Bean sat up and wiped his eyes with a chubby fist. He watched as Harry started packing. He knew what happened when people carried those big things. It meant people left. He didn't want his Daddy to leave. Maybe Daddy was leaving because he was mad at Bean? With that thought in mind, Bean began crying some more. He stood up on the bed and walked to the edge of it, sitting down by the suitcase. He reached his arms out to Harry. 

 

"Daddy no go!" He wailed. "Daddy stay! Bean love you!" 

 

Louis looked absolutely heartbroken, as did Harry. He looked from Bean to Louis, a look of sadness on his face. Before he could get to Bean, however, Louis grabbed him by the crook of his elbow and pulled him aside. Harry noted sadly that there were fresh tears in Louis' eyes. 

 

"I want you to leave so badly, but-" Louis sniffled and looked over at his sobbing son. "I can't have you leave with the kids here. They always know when you're gone." He slumped his shoulders and rubbed his temples. "They want you here but I don't." 

 

Harry bit his lip. "I could stay in the guestroom." He suggested. "Either one, up here or downstairs. Or I could leave."

 

Louis shook his head, fingers still massaging his temples. "I can't do that to the babies. They come first." He finally looked up at Harry and nodded. "You stay in the guest room, and you use the guest shower, and you absolutely will not ignore them or yell anymore. I don't think Bean's heart can handle it."

 

Harry looked back over at Bean, who was now crying into his fists, rubbing his eyes and hiccuping. He nodded. He walked over to Bean and knelt down, becoming eye level with the toddler. He wrapped his hand around Bean's hands and lowered them. The toddlers lower lip was quivering and his face was a mess. 

 

"Daddy hate?" He asked, a fresh wave of tears coming down his face. Harry realized with a thought that Bean had Louis' dramatics. "Daddy hate me?" 

 

Harry gasped and leaned forward, pulling the toddler from the bed and into his arms. He sat back on his bum and held Bean tightly, rocking his body back and forth. He buried his face in Bean's neck and shook his head. 

 

"Never. Daddy doesn't hate Bean." He said lovingly but fiercely. "Daddy loves you so much, Beanie baby. I love you so, _so_ much."

 

Louis watched for a few seconds before leaving the room. The twins were still sleeping, and if they could sleep through all of that, then they'd be asleep for awhile. He entered the nursery, where Lucas was just waking up. He watched as the toddler smiled up at him and stood on shaky legs. 

 

"Mama." Lucas greeted happily once he was in Louis' arms. Louis nuzzled his face and kissed his cheeks. 

 

"Good morning, precious." Louis said fondly. "Is my little boy hungry?" When Lucas nodded, he left the nursery and swung back by the bedroom, where Harry and Bean were still on the floor, wrapped up together. He didn't want to interrupt them. So, he walked downstairs, balancing Lucas carefully on his hip. In the kitchen, he sat Lucas down in his highchair and made a sippy cup of milk, handing it to the toddler. 

 

The thing with Lucas was that he was always content to get full on milk alone, each meal. Louis was the same way, and although he was always very healthy and never had any problems with his teeth or bones, he knew that just milk wasn't okay for a one and a  half year old. So, he sat down some sliced fruit and some yogurt. He was iffy on introducing eggs and cheese this early. Bean had loved them, but he didn't know how Lucas would take to the new food. 

 

So, he sipped some tea while Lucas picked at his bowl of food, only drinking his milk. It was odd, because Lucas was such a great eater.  Harry came down a few minutes later, holding Bean, who looked exhausted from all of his crying. He gathered up a bowl of fruit and yogurt for Bean and sat at the kitchen table. Louis guessed that Bean wasn't ready to let Harry go, which was fine with him, but it bothered Louis that Harry wouldn't do the same for Lucas. 

 

He shook the thought out of his head and took the bowl from Lucas, who was now staring down at it over his sippy cup. He would just try to have him eat later. He lifted the toddler out of his highchair and put him on the floor. He noticed that Lucas started to walk towards Harry before stopping completely and walking out of the kitchen. It made Louis' heart hurt for the poor baby. 

 

And actually, if he really thought about it, he can't ever remember Harry holding Lucas for longer than necessary. He was always holding Bean, playing with Bean, laying with Bean. Lucas was always by himself. Without even thinking, he began to speak. 

 

"Why do you ignore Lucas?" He wrapped his hands around his lukewarm mug and stared at Harry, who looked stunned and slightly pissed off. 

 

"What are you talking about?" Harry asked coolly. 

 

"I'm talking about how you never seem to hold Lucas, or play with him, or just carry him around."

 

"Are you accusing me of neglecting my own son?" Harry was effectively irritated now. He couldn't believe what Louis was saying. 

 

"Well...yeah. You never want to hold him or the twins."

 

"You're being ridiculous." Harry said, turning his attention to Bean. 

 

"Maybe," Louis said, placing his mug in the sink. "But I don't imagine that being ignored as a child is very fun." He didn't bother sticking around to see Harry's response, only hoping that he made his point. He didn't know how he felt bringing up Harry's admittedly difficult childhood, but he was going to be damned if he let the same thing happen to one of his babies. 

 

Lucas was sitting in the middle of the floor, next to Duke, who seemed protective over him, even more so. Louis headed upstairs, where the twins were both crying. He fed them one by one, their whimpers slowing and quieting down when they got their little bellies full of milk. 

 

Just as he was putting them back in their bassinet, Harry came in. 

 

"Just need to get some stuff." He said. Louis nodded and sat on the bed, watching as Harry gathered his clothes and began to move them from the bedroom. Once he was done, he turned to Louis. "You can nap. I'll watch the babies." 

 

Louis shook his head and stood. "I can stay awake for a few more hours." He declined. Harry nodded and left the master bedroom, carrying a stack of his dress socks. Louis watched him go. He wanted so badly to tell Harry to come back, but he can't get what Harry said out of his head. It was so unlike Harry to say anything like that, and he not only hurt Louis, but Bean as well. 

 

He knows that Harry doesn't mean what he says in anger, no matter how people say that words spoken in anger are true. He knows that Harry would never intentionally hurt his babies. There was just something bothering Harry, and he wanted to know what it was.

-

 

The rest of the day was quieter than normal. Lucas was more reserved than he usually was, and he seemed cranky. He didn't eat his breakfast or lunch, and he threw a fit for dinner. Harry had finally had enough and lifted the toddler out of his highchair, stopping when he felt how hot Lucas' skin was. The one year old molded himself to Harry, exhausted; 

 

"He's burning up." Harry said. It was the first thing he'd said to Louis since this morning. Louis looked up at him, brows furrowed. He stood and pressed the back of his hands to Lucas' forehead and cheeks, frowning. "He didn't eat anything all day, and he's been fussy. My money is on the flu." 

 

Lucas let out a weak, dry cough against Harry's shoulder.

 

"Call Dr. Bowen." Harry instructed, carrying Lucas out of the kitchen. "I'm going to go lay him in our bed."

 

Louis watched him go, trying to ignore the fact that Harry had still referred to it as _their_ bed. He called Dr. Bowen, explaining what was happening. Dr. Bowen confirmed the flu right away. He told Louis what to do, and when to go to the hospital if something happened. Louis hung the phone up and lifted Bean from his highchair, taking him to the den and turning the television on. Duke hopped on the couch with him. 

 

Louis headed upstairs slowly, having a dull ache in his abdomen. Once he got to the bedroom, he went straight to Lucas, who was laying on the bed and coughing pathetically. Harry was coming out of the bedroom, holding the thermometer. He sat on the edge of the bed and rolled it over Lucas' hot forehead. He frowned when it beeped. 

 

"A hundred point six." He said. Lucas sneezed quietly, and Harry pushed his hair away from his forehead. "What did Dr. Bowen say?" 

 

"Uh, that Lucas definitely has the flu. He called in a prescription, and if his temperature exceeds a hundred and one to take him to the hospital." He replied, eyes never leaving Lucas' flushed face. 

 

"When's the prescription done?" Harry asked. 

 

"Thirty minutes." Louis replied quietly. 

 

"I'll go and get it." Harry stood, after pressing a kiss to Lucas' forehead. "Do you need anything?" 

 

"Uh, no." Louis said. He was stunned at how Harry took control once he realized that Lucas was sick. It impressed him, honestly. But he wasn't giving in just yet.

-

 

The next few days proved to be very difficult for them both. Harry stayed up all night with Lucas, rubbing his little back and holding him tightly. He didn't even flinch when Lucas got sick on him. He was too focused on the pathetic cries coming from his second born. 

 

On the third night, Louis wanted to get up and go to Lucas, but the pain in his abdomen was unbearable. He couldn't move without the stabbing pain. He let out a cry and sat up as carefully as he could. He knew that Harry was with Lucas, and he was so thankful that the bedroom door was open. 

 

"Harry," He called out, cringing in pain when he tried to find a more comfortable position. A few seconds later, Harry appeared in the doorway, without Lucas. He looked concerned. 

 

"What's wrong?" Harry asked, stepping into the room. "Is it the babies?" 

 

Louis squeezed his eyes shut and shook his head. That's when Harry noticed that Louis had one hand on his stomach, near his incision. He darted over to the bed. 

 

"What's wrong, baby?" He asked, brushing Louis' hair away from his face and searching his body for anything that could be externally hurting his boy. "Tell me, come on. Gotta tell me."

 

Louis took a deep breath. "Hurts." He managed. Harry's eyes went to his abdomen. 

 

"Right here?" He asked, gently pressing his hand to Louis'. "Your tummy?" Louis nodded. "Alright. I'm going to call Dr. Bowen and see what we do. Just relax baby." 

 

He left the room and grabbed his phone from the guest bedroom. He dialed Dr. Bowen's extension, waiting for the doctor to pick up. 

 

"Mr. Styles," Dr. Bowen greeted tiredly. "What can I do for you?"

 

"Louis is having pain in his abdomen." Harry said. "Right above his incision. I just need to know if I should take him to the hospital."

 

"Is he bleeding anywhere?" Dr. Bowen asked. Harry walked back to the master bedroom and sat next to Louis. He lifted his shirt and inspected the scar. 

 

"No. It looks perfectly fine. But his abdomen does look swollen, and it's tender." Silence, and then, "No, no throwing up or anything like that. No headaches. He does have exhaustion." Harry subconsciously placed his hand on Louis' thigh and was rubbing, offering comfort.

 

A few minutes later, Harry sighed. "Okay, thank you. Okay, will do. Thanks again." He hung the phone up and looked at Louis. "Nothing to worry about. You've just been overworking yourself. Abdominal swelling is normal, but can be dangerous. You're on bed rest as of right now. You've got to rest." Harry gave him an odd look. "I don't think I could handle another-" He cut himself off and stood. 

 

"What-" Louis began, but Harry tucked him back in and turned the lamp off. 

 

"Go back to sleep. I've got the babies." Harry told him. 

 

Louis wanted to protest, wanted to tell Harry to go to bed because he knows that Harry hasn't gotten much sleep, but his exhaustion took him over and he fell right to sleep. 


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i am so fucking sorry for this chapter  
> there is heavy angst in the beginning and i cried while writing it, so beware.
> 
> so i know it doesn't exactly say it and ill just save everyone the trouble of doing the math in their heads. harry got back from NZ on the seventh of january (a day early) and he and louis have not talked for two and a half weeks
> 
> of course they say a few words to each other but no conversations
> 
> make sense? :D

A week later, Lucas was completely free of his flu and Louis could finally walk around without the soreness and pain in his abdomen. He had caught up on his sleep and just played with his babies. It was nice to not have to constantly drop everything and hover. He could have fun with his babies and not stress out. Harry, on the other hand, was going crazy. He had been taking care of everything; grocery shopping, laundry, cleaning, and taking care of the two older boys. 

 

He still carried Lucas around and paid special attention to him, even though he wasn't sick anymore. Harry was still worried about him. He never liked seeing his babies sick; it made him feel helpless. The best he could do was hold them and love them until they got better. He did it for Bean when he got sick, he did it for Lucas, and Louis, and he'd do it for the twins. 

 

He still hadn't made any progress with Louis. He wanted so desperately to corner Louis in a room and spill his heart and soul out, but he was so scared. Part of him wanted to let Louis know how he was feeling, and another part wanted him to be the biggest prick on the planet and encase his feelings in a steel box and continue to be a dick. He was conflicted, and it was only a matter of time before one of them got sick of pretending everything was going to be okay.

-

 

On January twentieth, a few weeks after Louis' six week checkup, Louis was doing laundry. It felt good to be up and getting around again. Dr. Bowen had checked on his incision and the swelling, and told him to limit his physical activity, and he'd actually listened. He felt so much better for it, too. The only thing he couldn't do was shower by himself, so he'd been taking baths, but that only got him so clean. Even though they weren't exactly on speaking terms, Louis was doing Harry's laundry. He knew that the man was incapable of doing his own. He could run a multi-billion dollar corporation but he couldn't wash his socks. It was quite perplexing. 

 

Louis washed and ironed his pants and steamed his shirts and jackets. In the laundry basket that Harry had brought down sat Harry's coat, crumpled at the bottom. He shook it out and checked the pockets. He felt a little ball of something in the bottom of one of the pockets, so he dug it out and unfolded it. It was a small black business card with the logo  _Lolabar_ written in purple, swirly writing. 

 

Underneath was simply a phone number and the words Auckland, New Zealand. Louis slid it in his pocket, planning to look it up later. He finished the laundry and carried himself back upstairs. The boys were napping and Harry was in his office, standing by the window reading something in a file folder. The office door was wide open, which pleased Louis. 

 

He walked quietly past the nursery and into the master bedroom, where he pulled his iPad out and opened the search engine. After typing in what was on the card, he was taken to the website of a gay cocktail bar. Something broke inside of him, but he doesn't know for sure if it was his heart or their relationship. He couldn't think of any reason why Harry would be at a gay cocktail bar other than to...cheat on him. 

 

But why would Harry cheat on him? He stood and closed the bedroom door as quick as he could, locking it. He didn't want Harry to come in because he doesn't think he has the courage to talk to him. He feels weak. Inadequate. And...ugly. He's never once felt any of that in front of Harry, but now...he wasn't so sure. He looked at the card once more, eyes filling with tears. 

 

He sat it on his nightstand and slowly walked to the bathroom. He flicked the light on and stared at himself in the mirror. Sure, his hair was messy, and his eyes had circles under them. His gaze traveled down his body, landing on his midsection. He hadn't even lost an ounce of the baby weight, and if anything, he gained some more on top of that. His scar, even though healed, was still sore and pink. His thighs had filled out, too, and his bum was bigger. He was still short, and his arms weren't toned in the slightest. 

 

He felt embarrassed. He looked away from himself in shame, turning the bathroom light off with shaking fingers. He laid down on the bed and curled up as best as he could. Of course Harry would cheat on him. He wasn't what Harry needed. Harry needed someone shiny and brand-new. Not a twenty-two year old uni failure with four children. No, Harry needed someone taller and leaner, someone better looking that he could cart around and show off.

 

He felt hot tears cascade down his face and he didn't even bother to wipe them away. No wonder Harry never wanted to touch him or shower with him. He was holding Harry back. Harry couldn't be handsome and successful when he had to come home to Louis.

 

His heart clenched and he had a lump in his throat. He let out a sob and buried his face into the pillow. He didn't know what to do, and if he should confront Harry about this or just let Harry finally decide to leave.

 

He feels like a failure.

-

 

He lets the thought of Harry with another man poison his mind for another two days. He doesn't look at Harry for fear of getting sick, and he doesn't talk much to Harry. He avoids the man completely. Harry doesn't try anything until he corners Louis in the master bedroom. 

 

"Why didn't you tell me that Dr. Bowen suggested that I help you with your showers until you're completely healed?" He asked, folding his arms across his chest, but the action wasn't hostile. Louis shrugged and pushed his hair away from his forehead. He needed to wash it, but it was so difficult to do so in the bathtub. 

 

"I didn't think of it." He replied weakly. 

 

"Come on." Harry said, ushering Louis to the bathroom. "We're gonna get you nice and clean." He promised. "The boys are asleep and you look dead on your feet. A good shower will help you ease your mind." 

 

 _If only you knew what was on it._  Louis thought bitterly. Harry closed the bathroom door behind them and turned to Louis, who was staring at the floor and fiddling with the hem of his shirt. 

 

"Or," He suggested. "You can sit outside the bathroom door and-"

 

"No." Harry said, stripping his shirt. Louis turned his head so that he didn't have to stare at the tattoos representing their family. "Come on, let's get this over with." 

 

 _Let's get this over with._ Harry made it seem like it was such a hassle, like he'd rather be anywhere else but here with Louis. Louis tugged on the bottom of his shirt more, stretching it out. 

 

"Or-" 

 

Harry huffed in irritation and turned to him, looking angry. "Why are you being like this? I told you to never hide your body from me. There's nothing wrong with you." He said. Louis' bottom lip quivered and he burst into tears. Harry was stunned. He watched as Louis sobbed into his elbow, not knowing what to do. 

 

"You're _lying_." Louis sobbed out. "Why do you always lie to me?"

 

"What are you talking about?" Harry asked in bewilderment. "I've never lied to you-"

 

Louis nodded his head, face still buried in his elbow. "You did. When you got home from New Zealand," He spat the name of the island out of his mouth. "And-and you said you were going to shower and I asked if I could and you said _no_ and you looked at me like I was some gross thing." He let out a shuddering breath before speaking again. "And I'm sorry that I look so...so _ugly_ , and I haven't lost any of the baby weight and I know you don't want to be seen in public with me and I'm nothing special and that's why you cheated on me and I don't blame you because I'm such a _failure_ and I can't even take care of my babies alone and you don't want to be here but I'm making you and I'm ruining your business and-" Louis was rambling now, barely making any sense over his sobbing and hiccuping. 

 

Harry stared at him in shock. He was speechless. " _Baby_." He finally said, taking two steps forward and enveloping Louis in his arms. Louis struggled, but Harry held him tighter. "You are so fucking stupid, darling. Oh, my poor boy." He rocked them back and forth, running a soothing hand through Louis' hair. "You are the most incredible specimen I have ever laid my eyes on. You have to know that baby. You are so breathtakingly beautiful."

 

Louis shook his head against Harry's chest. 

 

"Stop that. You are so beautiful. I can't believe I made you think otherwise. Oh, baby. I never meant to be rude about it. I'm so sorry." He spoke directly into Louis' ear, lowly and slowly. It made Louis feel safe and grounded. "You take care of our babies so well, darling. I'm always so proud of you." He ran his fingers down Louis' sides and slipped them under Louis' shirt, silencing the smaller boys protests. 

 

"These," He said, squeezing Louis' hips. "I love these. I love sucking the skin there and marking you as mine." He trailed his hands to Louis' bum, holding it in his large hands. "This drives me _insane_ , baby. You have no idea how crazy this makes me. I can't form coherent sentences when I see it." And last but not least, he splayed a hand across Louis' stomach, wary of his scar. "And this will always be my favorite, no matter what. This is where my babies spent nine months, this is where I got to feel them kick, hear their heartbeats, and it's what I kissed every night before I fell asleep. Two of my babies came out from here and that's something that I will never, ever forget."

 

He sucked in a deep breath before continuing. "I have never, ever, cheated on you in my life. Have you seen yourself? I would rather kill myself than hurt you like that. Baby, you have to know that. _Please_ tell me you know that." Louis nodded weakly and Harry sighed. 

 

He leaned his head down and rested his forehead on Louis' shoulder, still holding him tightly. "Now," He whispered. "We are going to get in that shower, and I'm going to get you nice and clean, and then I'm going to lay you down on _our_ bed and I'm going to take care of you." 

 

Louis nodded wordlessly and let Harry undress him slowly, pressing kisses all over his exposed skin. Goosebumps popped up on his skin from the sudden chill. Harry shucked off the rest of his clothing and turned the water on hot. He helped Louis step in and he closed the glass doors behind him. He positioned them so that Louis was under the hot spray, getting wet and warm. 

 

Harry cupped Louis' cheek with his hand, rubbing an under eye circle with his thumb. "I've neglected you." He whispered sadly. 

 

Louis looked up at him through watery blue eyes. He'd finally stopped crying, but his face was now red, as well as his eyes. "Can you talk to me?" He asked. "Can you tell me why?" 

 

Harry hesitated, but one look at the sad look settling on Louis' face made him crack. "I made a promise to take care of you and every single child you gave me," He began. "And then, on December seventh, at ten seventeen in the morning, I thought my world had ended." 

 

Louis wrapped his hand around Harry's wrists, urging him to continue. 

 

"It was so out of my control. I couldn't physically protect you or my two babies, and it scared the fucking hell out of me. I didn't know what was happening, and the nurses kept giving me bullshit answers, and i was so terrified that something bad had happened to you or the babies-" He cut himself off and shook his head. "I can't go on."

 

Louis squeezed his wrists until Harry was looking him in the eye. "Harry Edward Styles," Louis whispered. "Tell me right now." 

 

Harry felt pride blooming in his chest. He didn't get angry when Louis got upset and began shouting at him. He deserved everything that Louis could shout, and he was happy that Louis still cared enough to shout. He nodded. 

 

"I felt weak. And then, we come home and we've now got four children. _Four_ children. You did this all for me, and what do I do for you?" He rubbed his fingertips over Louis' back and shoulders, gliding them across the wet skin. "I can't work, and I need to work. I have this instinct to go out and provide for my family, but I couldn't. I was taking care of you and four babies, and it got so overwhelming. I was so glad when you made me go with Liam to New Zealand." He took a deep breath. "And in New Zealand, I got carried away with the scotch, and I just began to think."

 

"I had told you before Bean was born that I wanted four children before I was thirty. And you did it. You gave me four children. And it made me realize that you would do anything I asked of you." 

 

Louis nodded fiercely. It was true. He would do anything Harry asked of him. 

 

"But," Harry pushed on. "It seems that whenever you ask me to do something, I'm always pushing it back onto you. Even if it's you just asking me to change one of the twins, I turn it back around and ask why you can't do it. You've given me four children and you take care of them all day, almost always by yourself, and I can't even change a diaper. I thought that I wanted my old life back, but then Liam said something that made me think twice. He said that he looks forward to going home to his family everyday, and I stopped to think-if I had my old life, I wouldn't have anything to come home too."

 

"I wouldn't see you in the kitchen or the den, I wouldn't have two very uncoordinated toddlers running to greet me, and I wouldn't get to pick up a pair of the cutest twins I've ever seen. I wouldn't get to put them to bed or read them stories, or hold them when they're sick. I wouldn't get to make love to you, I wouldn't get to touch your body, I wouldn't get to tell you I love you."

 

"And I do. So fucking much. I love you with my heart and soul and everything in between. I'm so fucking in love with you and I could never ever hurt you in any way. I just got so overwhelmed and I took it out on my family. My life had changed from parties and drinking to early bedtimes and juice boxes, and I will _never_ forgive myself for doing that to you." He leaned down so that their foreheads were touching. "I almost lost you once and I'll be damned if I do it again."

 

Louis wrapped his arms around Harry's waist and kissed the tattoos on Harry's chest. "I love you too. I hate sleeping without you." 

 

"Does this mean I can move back into our bedroom?" Harry asked him. Louis nodded up at him, and Harry sealed their lips together. They hadn't had any intimate contact like that, and he loved it. He had to stop himself before he got too carried away, so he pulled back and smiled down at Louis. 

 

Louis let Harry was his hair and body, not even cringing when Harry cleaned his most intimate parts. Harry even went as far as to have Louis rest his leg on the built in seat while he thoroughly cleaned the younger boys hole. Once they were both clean and warm, he dried Louis and himself off and walked them into the bedroom. 

 

Harry dressed Louis in a pair of soft cotton panties, one of his personal favorites because the soft color complimented Louis' skin so well, and one of his old, faded, silky smooth t shirts. He himself dressed in a pair of sweatpants and helped Louis up into bed. Once the smaller boy was settled in, Harry laid down beside him. 

 

Louis grabbed one of Harry's hands and started fiddling with his long fingers. "I think," He said quietly. "That we need to make a schedule of some sorts, so that you can balance your time between home and work properly." His eyes met Harry's. "Don't protest, either. You need to work, and you want to work. It'll be good. You need balance right now."

 

Harry simply nodded his head. He couldn't protest because he didn't  _want_ to protest. Louis was right-he needed to find balance. His schedules were so out of whack that it was driving him mad. 

 

"You make the schedule, hm?" Harry suggested. "You know what times you need me the most, and what times are the quietest. I'll be fine with whatever you choose." 

 

"Can we do it together?" Louis asked. "Tomorrow morning?" 

 

"We can do it whenever you want, alright?" Harry promised. That phrase, however, led him to a different subject. "Speaking of, how did your appointment with Dr. Bowen go?"

 

"Good. My incision is healing nicely, I need to limit my psychical activity, and just take it easy. Um," Louis blushed. "I did ask about the sex part, and he said that it was okay as long as I was feeling up to it. But I'm not. I don't think I'll be ready for quite some time. I'm sorry."

 

"Hey, hey, why are you apologizing?" Harry tilted his chin up. "You don't need to apologize for not feeling up to it. Your body, your rules, okay?" 

 

Louis nodded.  He stifled a yawn, but Harry caught it. It was nearing eleven o'clock, and Louis needed his sleep. 

 

"Bedtime." Harry said, tugging the blankets up over their legs. Louis shook his head and pushed the covers off. 

 

"Wanna feed them one last time." He sat up and swung his legs over the side. Harry did the same. 

 

"Then you stay put. I'll get them." Harry instructed, walking over to the bassinet and peering into it. Ollie and Theo were holding hands in their sleep, both on their backs. Harry felt so much love for them. He lifted Theo up and the baby jerked awake, blinking his eyes. 

 

"Hey, baby." Harry greeted. "Hello, my precious boy. Are you hungry?" He carried the baby over to Louis, smiling the whole way. "Mummy's gonna feed you and get your little tummy full." He handed the baby to Louis and watched as Theo tried to resist before latching on. Harry sat down next to Louis on the edge of the bed and Louis laid his head down on Harry's shoulder. 

 

"He's so beautiful." Louis said absently. Harry nodded beside him. All of his children were beautiful, no doubt about it. 

 

When Theo was done, falling asleep at the nipple, Harry took him back to the bassinet and traded him for Ollie, who was awake, sensing that his brother was gone. He eased when he was in Harry's arms though, making the older man smile. When Ollie was placed in Louis' arms, he began to root, not waiting for Louis to take him straight to the source. Once he found what he was looking for, he latched on right away, one hand on Louis' bare pec, 

 

Harry watched with a smile. "Oh yes, he's definitely mine." He played with the wispy brown hair that was nestled on top of Ollie's head, until the baby made a disgruntled sound and popped off, almost glaring at Harry for interrupting his snack. 

 

Louis laughed. "Like father, like son." He said. He leaned down to whisper to Ollie. "Don't worry, baby. Daddy doesn't like it when he's bothered either."  

 

Harry just shrugged. Why deny the truth? Louis had fantastic nipples and the milk was sweet. So sue him if he wanted to have his mouth on them all the time. He looked back down at Ollie, who was slowing down. Once his mouth was slack, Harry lifted him up and carried him to lay next to his brother. He planted kisses on both of their foreheads and turned back to walk to the bed. 

 

It didn't occur to him how tired he really was until he laid his head down on the pillow. Louis was making himself comfortable in the middle of the bed, and that was Harry's cue to curl up behind him. Louis always slept in the middle of the bed. It kept him closer to Harry. So, when they were both settled comfortably around each other, they could finally fall asleep with no trouble. 

-

 

Louis was roused from sleep around three in the morning. As soon as he opened his eyes, he knew. Harry was laying on the bed, holding both babies to his chest. He was talking quietly to them, and they were listening eagerly. 

 

"Are they hungry?" Louis asked. causing Harry to stop talking and look down at him. 

 

He shook his head. "No. Just gave them each a bottle. Was just about to put them back, actually."

 

"Doesn't seem like they want to be anywhere else." Louis commented, rubbing Theo's covered bum. The baby yawned in response. 

 

"Well, they've got to, because Daddy needs to talk to Mummy." Harry said, sitting up carefully and carrying the babies back over to their beds. He handled them as if they were the most precious things in the entire world, and it made Louis' heart swell. When both babies were laying comfortably next to each other, Harry turned back to the bed and climbed into it from the foot. 

 

Once he was settled in comfortably next to Louis, he stared into the younger boys eyes. "What you said the other day," He began. "About me...failing to give Lucas attention. You were right. I don't give him as much attention as I do Bean. I have no excuse for that, and I feel shitty for it. I was just so focused on being a better father than mine, I failed to realize that I had two impressionable toddlers, not just one."

 

Louis grabbed Harry's hand in his and squeezed. "I know you want your boys to have better childhoods, but maybe you can find some time to spend individually with Lucas? He needs it."

 

"I don't want him to grow up resenting me." Harry admitted. Louis raised his hand and cupped Harry's cheek. 

 

"He won't." Louis promised. "He just needs to know that his Daddy loves him. Maybe you could take him grocery shopping tomorrow? He really loves it, and even more so if he's in the backpack." 

 

Harry laughed. "Sounds like fun." And it really did. Who cares if it was only grocery shopping? He would get to spend time with his second born son.

 

"I'll make a list tomorrow, and you can take him before nap time." Louis yawned. Harry tugged him closer and closed his eyes. It was quiet before something else came to his mind, making him speak. 

 

"Why did you think I was cheating on you?" He asked, hoping Louis was still awake. 

 

"I was doing laundry," Louis said quietly. "And I found a business card, and I looked it up on the internet. It's a gay cocktail bar, so I just figured that you'd...you know...gone there to observe your options."

 

Harry squeezed his hip. "This is embarrassing, but I was drunk for most of my trip. Liam and I had gone to dinner one night, and the restaurant didn't serve any alcohol. After we left, he headed back to the hotel, but I wanted to forget some things. I didn't have the best time, as you know, and Lolabar was the first bar I came upon. I didn't realize that it was a gay cocktail bar until I saw a few couples getting rather fresh on the couches. After that, I saw that there weren't any women, and everyone was male. I left after I realized, baby. I would never cheat on you. You're it for me."

 

"I'm happy of that, but I'm not too happy about your drinking." Louis reprimanded. "I don't want you getting any new habits."

 

"Don't worry, love. After a two day hangover, I'm pretty much off alcohol for a very long time." Harry promised. He pressed a kiss to the back of Louis' neck and closed his eyes. "I love you."

 

"I love you too."

-

 

The next day at eleven-twenty, Harry power-walked into the nearest Whole Foods with Lucas strapped to his chest. Lucas had a little blue hat on and his feet were covered in warm booties, and he was ready to spend time with his Daddy. 

 

Harry grabbed a shopping cart and began to search for the items on the long list Louis threw at him this morning. Lucas babbled as Harry pulled items off the shelf, making sure that they were the exact brand and type Louis wanted. He had some trouble with Lucas pulling things off of the shelf, and that ended when he unstrapped the backpack and held Lucas in his arms. 

 

"Dada Dada Dada." Lucas yelled. His big blue eyes were darting around the aisle they were in, mesmerized. He loved the grocery store. 

 

"Lucas Lucas Lucas." Harry replied, much more softly. "I love you Lucas." He kissed the back of Lucas' head. With another glance at the list, they headed to the bakery section, to get breads. Harry handed Lucas a little box of cranberries to eat while he sorted through the different types Louis listed (whole wheat, seven grain, rye), and the different types of muffins, bagels, and English muffins. It was headache inducing. 

 

He had just sat the bread in the cart when he heard a sigh from behind him. He turned and saw Taylor, tottering on her heels and staring at him with lust in her eyes. It made his skin crawl. 

 

"Um, hello." He said, adjusting Lucas in his arms, so that the baby was now facing outwards. 

 

She sighed again. "You've always been so good with kids." She swooned. She stepped forward, and Lucas kicked his foot out. "I haven't met this one, have I?"

 

"Considering he wasn't born yet when we requested your services, no." Harry clipped. She reached her hand out, but Harry stepped back. "Don't touch my son."

 

Her eyes darkened and she seemed unfazed by his words. "You're so protective of him." Her breathing was shallow and she looked at Harry like he was a piece of meat and she was a starving lion. 

 

"Good to see you." Harry said. "But I need to leave. So move." He motioned to where her hand was gripping the side of the shopping cart. 

 

"But we've hardly talked at all! How are you? Single?" She batted her eyelashes. 

 

"Just had my third and fourth babies, actually." He tried not to smile at the way her face fell. 

 

"Third and fourth?" Her voice was high pitched, and she forced a smile onto her face. "How wonderful." 

 

"It really is." He replied. "Now move." 

 

If anything, her hand tightened and she stepped forward. Now, there are very few moments where his children have made him proud, being that they were only two and a half and one and a half, but this moment was his favorite. When Taylor reached her hand towards him, Lucas launched his box of cranberries at her, hitting her square in the face. Cranberries landed in her hair and down her unflattering shirt. 

 

"Mine." Lucas barked, kicking his feet towards her. Taylor looked stunned, blinking quickly. She brought her hand up to her face, where the box hit. She had a small red mark from where the corner had gotten her. 

 

"Are you going to let him-" She started to squeal, but Harry jerked the shopping cart out of her grasp and sidestepped her. 

 

"Yes, I am." He said, walking away, holding Lucas in one hand and pushing quickly with the other. Once they were in the fruits and vegetables, a considerable distance from the bakery, Harry looked down at Lucas. He smiled at his son. "Daddy loves you, Lucas."

 

Lucas licked Harry's hand. "Love Dada." He replied. 

 

Harry kissed the top of his head and looked down at the list. "Now, let's try to find out what in the fuck a jabuticaba is." 

 

"Fuck!" Lucas shrieked, kicking his feet out. 

 

"Oh, no, no, no!" Harry panicked. Louis' had always warned him about cursing in front of the babies, and now he'd done it and now his son was screaming profanities in Whole Foods. "Don't say that. That's a no-no word. Mummy will kill me if he hears you say it. Pretend Daddy didn't say that. Daddy's silly."

 

"Silly." Lucas grinned up at Harry, dimples popping out. Harry sighed in relief. 

 

"Good boy." Now, let's hope that Lucas forgets all about that word.

-

 

When Harry got home, he carried Lucas inside and sat him down, pressed a kiss to Louis' cheek, and unloaded the groceries. He shooed Louis away from helping, patting him on the bum. He did let Louis put some of the groceries away, though, knowing that Louis wouldn't stop asking until he got to do something. 

 

When the groceries were put away, Harry ordered pizza, leaning down to scoop Lucas up, who had been tugging on his pant leg. Louis smiled happily at them. When Harry ended the call, he handed his phone to Lucas, who promptly threw it across the room. 

 

"Future baseball player, I think." Harry mused, kissing Lucas' cheek. 

 

"Dada?" Lucas asked, holding Harry's face between his hands. "My dada." The toddler turned to Louis. "My momma." 

 

"That's right, my smart boy." Louis cooed, stepping forward. "Your daddy and mummy." 

 

"Love." Lucas told them proudly. He wiggled around in Harry's arms before Harry sat him down. He toddled away, picking up an abandoned juice box, sucking on it happily. Louis groaned and buried his face in Harry's shoulder. 

 

"Don't worry," Harry rubbed Louis' back. "I'll clean up later." 

 

"I don't even remember giving anyone a juice box today." Louis laughed, stepping back. Harry shrugged and pulled Louis closer. 

 

"It is what it is." He said, cupping the back of Louis' head. He pressed their lips together, swiping his tongue across Louis' lower lip, making his mouth fall open. Harry licked inside of his mouth, their tongues mingling together. Louis pressed them closer together, gripping Harry's hips. Harry's large hands were cradling his head, and his knees knocked together. 

 

It was a powerful kiss, too. One that made his heart race and his breath hitch. It made his head fuzzy and it made him want Harry to take him on the kitchen floor. Four kids ago, that might have been possible, but now, nada. The best Harry could do was kiss him silly, which is what was happening. 

 

When Harry pulled back, he still kept his face close to Louis', noses touching and lips brushing. Louis looked up at him through hooded eyes. 

 

"I want you." Louis whispered. Harry pressed their lips together once more, for a second before pulling away. 

 

"I want you too." He replied huskily. "So bad. Haven't touched you properly in months." 

 

Louis nodded and bent his head down, resting it on Harry's chest. "Kissing makes me tired now." He commented, laughing. 

 

"I bet," Harry said. "Don't worry, you can sleep in a bit. We've just got to put the little ones down, and then I'll rub your back or your feet, wherever you need." 

 

"Sounds heavenly." Louis kissed Harry's chest and stepped back. 

 

"You deserve it." Harry replied honestly. "Now, are we eating dinner at the table or in the den?" 

 

Louis thought for a moment. "Den." He finally said. "I know the importance of family dinners at the table, but I don't want to wrestle with them tonight."

 

Harry nodded and fished his wallet out of his back pocket. "Good choice." He said. The doorbell rang, and Harry grinned. "Now, go get settled with two of my lovely offspring. I'll bring dinner to you."  He started to walk away, but Louis grabbed his arm. 

 

"Hey," He said. "I really love you." 

 

"Hey," Harry grinned down at him. "I really love you too."

 

 

 

[Bean :)](http://s40.photobucket.com/user/thelarries/media/Bean_zps7aca7333.jpg.html?sort=3&o=7)

[Lucas :)](http://s40.photobucket.com/user/thelarries/media/Lucas1_zpsaa4ac8ce.jpg.html?sort=3&o=8)

[The twins :)](http://s40.photobucket.com/user/thelarries/media/twins_zps48ec7ada.jpg.html?sort=3&o=6)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yes, i know i didn't write much about them not talking, but this fic isn't going to be long ( :( )  
> so if it seems like it was rushed, i apologize. i did mention in there that they havent talked in weeks, so ill just leave those weeks up to you guys. you can decide what happened :D


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i apologize because i have no idea what in the hell this chapter is 
> 
> forgive me

"Fuck!"

 

Harry looked up from where he was laying on the bed, reading a magazine. He hoped that it was Louis that said the curse word, but he had horrible luck. A few minutes later, Louis appeared in the doorway, arms crossed and a stern look on his face.

 

"Why is my one and a half year old son saying an inappropriate word?" He asked, closing the bedroom door. 

 

"Well," Harry began. "I did a bad the other day at the grocery store." 

 

"The other day? My son has known this word for _days_?" Louis' eyebrows raised. He crawled onto the bed and sat on Harry's lap. 

 

"Yes, that is correct. I said something about some weird fruit you wrote down and I said the word _fuck,_ and he began to repeat it. I thought he'd forgotten all about it, honestly." 

 

"You say it so nonchalantly. But really, it's not you who will be in front of the mums or in a public place when he begins to scream it at the top of his lungs." Louis pointed out. 

 

Harry slid his hands up to rest on the sides of Louis' thighs. "I'm sorry baby." He said. "Let me make it up to you?"

 

Louis bit his lip and looked over at the bassinet, where the twins lay sleeping. "I have an idea." He began. "The babies are asleep, and they're full."

 

"Yes, they are." Harry went along with it. 

 

"And they've got bottles in the fridge, right?" 

 

"I believe they do."

 

"Well, I don't want to pump again, and I'm pretty full..." He trailed off. 

 

Harry nodded his head. "Uh huh...oh. Oh. _Oh_." He licked his lips. "You want me-"

 

Louis nodded eagerly. "Would you? It hurts when I'm this full." He pouted and Harry bit back a groan. Louis was asking him to nurse. He felt all the blood in his body rush to a certain organ and his pants tightened. 

 

" _God_." He breathed. "I will never say no to that." He nodded furiously. "How do you want this?" 

 

"I could lay on my back, and you could lay beside me, on your side? Maybe rest your head on my arm?" Louis suggested, sliding off of Harry and pulling his shirt off. Harry waited until he was laying down. He situated himself how Louis wanted, so that his lips were resting next to Louis' full chest. 

 

"Ready?" He asked, blinking up at Louis, who nodded down at him. He didn't waste any time wrapping his lips around a perky nipple. He began to tug with his tongue gently, starting the flow. Once he swallowed the first mouthful, he started sucking harder, greedy. Above him, Louis whined and whimpered, pain slowly turning into pleasure. He buried a hand in Harry's hair and tugged. 

 

"Slow down, you'll get sick." He moaned out. Harry sucked harder, causing Louis to bite his lip. He paused to breathe in and out of his mouth for a few seconds before emptying the left nipple. When the milk started getting scarce, he sat up and flipped himself to lay in the exact same position, but on Louis' right side. 

 

"So good." He murmured. licking the nipple a few times before suctioning his mouth around it. This time, he savored it, letting the sweet, creamy substance coat his tongue and slide down his throat. For a tiny second, he was actually jealous that his babies got to enjoy this multiple times a day, but on the same token, he was so glad that they did. He wanted nothing but the best for his babies, and this was certainly the best. 

 

"I think I'm almost empty." Louis told him, fingers absently running up and down Harry's shoulder blades. Harry shook his head in protest and bit the nipple between his teeth, causing Louis to yelp. "Hey!" He cried. "I get that enough from teething babies, I don't need it from my thirty year old husband." 

 

"Not thirty yet." Harry whispered, licking the nipple. 

 

"Almost. A week and you will be." Louis reminded him. "What do you want for your birthday?" 

 

Harry pulled off of his nipple with a satisfied _pop_ and licked the milk off of his lips. "Absolutely nothing." He wiped whatever was remaining on his chin and rubbed a thumb over Louis' now red nipple. "But our anniversary is coming up, so what do _you_ want?" He slid the faded shirt he was wearing off and offered it to Louis, who slid it on. It hung off one shoulder and his collarbones were exposed.

 

Louis pushed Harry onto his back and straddled his lap again. Harry's face took on a look of pure bliss and he gripped Louis' hips. "Hm...anything I want?" 

 

Harry nodded. "Anything. Name it, it's yours." 

 

Louis threaded their fingers together and looked thoughtful. He looked so damn cute with Harry's large shirt on him and his messy hair, eyes sparkling. "How about a boat?" He grinned cheekily. "And then how about...you buy me a private island, where we can be alone, and you can shower me with love and affection. And a bag of raw diamonds to top it off." 

 

Harry just grinned up at him. "You got it baby." He squeezed Louis' hips and bum. "I'll get right on that."

 

Louis leaned down and pressed his lips to Harry's. "But I don't really want any of that." He whispered. "I'm perfectly happy with everything i have now." 

 

"You sure?" Harry asked. "You listed some things pretty quickly." 

 

"I never even said thank you." Louis said, tracing Harry's tattoos. 

 

"For what?"

 

Louis shrugged. "Being so patient with me. Giving me all of this," He motioned to the room around them. "For working with me even though we didn't know why were even trying in the first place. Letting me have babies with you. For treating me so kindly. I know I can be a bit stubborn." 

 

"Oh love. You deserve the world," Harry leaned up and sat against the headboard, pulling Louis closer so that their chests were pressed together. "And I'm so glad you decided it was worth it. I was so horrible to you, especially when you were newly pregnant. I wouldn't give those babies up for the world. Once I've gotten to be a father, I never want to go back. I'm so stupidly in love with you." 

 

Louis rubbed his nose against Harry's, smiling. "I'm so stupidly in love with you too."

-

 

On February second, Louis really did plan on having sex with Harry. It was his birthday, after all. But that morning he woke up sick, dropping to his knees in the master bathroom and getting sick everywhere. 

 

Harry, bless his heart, was there in an instant, rubbing his back and pressing a cool flannel to his forehead. 

 

"What's gotten into you, hm?" He asked when Louis was done. 

 

Louis shrugged and rested his forehead on his arm. Harry helped him up and back into bed, pressing a kiss to his warm forehead. 

 

"Uh oh baby," Harry stepped back and retrieved the thermometer from where it was shoved in Louis' nightstand drawer. "I think you've got a fever." He rolled it over Louis' forehead a few times and waited for the beep. He frowned. "A hundred point nine." 

 

Louis whined and smashed his face into Harry's pillow. Harry sat the thermometer back down. 

 

"You've probably got a cold, lovely." Harry smoothed his hair away from his hot forehead. "I'm going to take the boys to your mums and then I'll be right back to take care of you, okay?" Harry pressed a kiss to his cheek. "Call me if you need anything."

 

He pulled the covers back over Louis and flipped the bedroom light off. He got the boys ready and packed their weekend bags. They were excited to go to Grandma Jay's house. Harry tried to make the trip as quick as possible, not liking the idea of a sick Louis at home with the twins. 

 

Jay and Dan were waiting outside for them when they pulled up. Dan took the bags from Harry and Jay took the boys. Harry kissed them both on the cheek and told Jay to call if anything happened. She promised that she would and sent Harry on his way, telling him to get back and take care of her son. 

 

He nodded at her and drove off. 

-

 

Louis doesn't know how long he slept. It must have been for a few hours, because he could hear Harry puttering around in his office. His head still hurt and his stomach was still queasy, but he slid out of bed anyway. He was only wearing one of Harry's shirts that went to his thighs and he could feel the chill creeping up on him. 

 

He walked to Harry's office, where Harry was sitting on the floor, legs spread, with the babies laying on a blanket, reading a piece of paper. He was frowning and chewing on his lip. Louis cleared his throat and Harry's gaze snapped up to meet his. 

 

"Hey baby." He stood carefully and walked over to Louis. "Feel any better?"

 

Louis shook his head and wrapped his arms around Harry's waist. "No." 

 

"My poor baby." Harry cooed, rubbing his hands down Louis' back. "Let's go lay down." 

 

Louis waited by the door while Harry leaned down and scooped up the twins, carrying them with ease into the master bedroom. He crawled on the bed while Harry put them down in their bassinet. When they were settled, he turned and laid down next to Louis. 

 

"I'm sorry." Louis said, whimpering. Harry looked at him with a confused expression. 

 

"For what?" 

 

"It's your birthday today and I was going to..you know. And I can't because I'm sick." He sniffled. 

 

"Oh darling," Harry tugged him closer and rubbed his tummy. "It's not your fault you're sick. And I would love nothing more than to take care of you. Who cares if its my birthday? As long as I get to spend time with you, I'm happy." 

 

"Are you sure?" Louis blinked up at him through wet lashes. Harry nodded and kissed the tip of his nose. 

 

"Positive. Now, get some sleep." He instructed firmly. "I'll lay with you." 

 

Louis closed his eyes and let the thudding in his head lull him to sleep.

-

 

When he woke again, it was to launch himself from the bed to throw up in the master bedroom. Harry wasn't in there, but he could soon hear footsteps approaching him, and then a hand was stroking down his back as he emptied his stomach. 

 

Once he was done, he settled back onto the floor and curled up in Harry's arms. Harry petted his hair and flushed the toilet, placing the lid down. 

 

"I hate being sick." Louis whined as Harry helped him to his feet. 

 

"I know, precious. I know." Harry sympathized. "Let's get back into bed and later I'll run you a bath, okay?" 

 

Louis nodded and laid his head down on the pillow. Harry left and came back a few seconds later with two pills and a glass of water. 

 

"Take these and drink this. It'll make you feel better." Harry helped him up while he swallowed the medicine and drank half of the cold water. "Good boy. You sleep. I'm going to go get my laptop and I'll work from in here, okay?" 

 

"Okay." Louis nodded, closing his eyes. He felt Harry kiss his forehead. 

 

"I love you." Harry whispered, leaving the room. He gathered his laptop and went back into the bedroom. After checking on the twins, he settled himself on the bed, in Louis' spot. He knew that Louis liked to lay in his when he was sick, so that's where he let the boy lay. He settled against the headboard and cracked his laptop open, opening a few documents. He began to type, fingers moving over the keys quickly. 

 

Louis must have been really tired, because usually any light noise, such as the clicking of the keyboard, would have woken him up. But he slept soundly, occasionally turning. His hand always found a way to touch Harry, whether it be on his thigh, or resting on his arm.

 

Harry worked for a few hours,  only stopping to feed and change the twins. He let Duke outside when he went downstairs for a drink, and the time on the clock startled him. It was already five o'clock in the evening. He was thirty now.

 

He let Duke back inside and headed back upstairs and into the bedroom. Louis was still sleeping, arm flung over the spot where Harry was sitting previously. He showered quickly, wanting to be out just in case Louis got sick, but the boy was still sleeping when he stepped into the bedroom to get dressed. When he was wearing a pair of briefs, he walked over to Louis and placed his hand on the boys forehead.

 

He wasn't as hot as he was this morning. He was warmer now, which pleased Harry. Louis probably had a 24-hour bug. Or at least he hoped. The poor boy didn't need to be sicker than he already was. 

 

He left the room and called Liam to discuss some work. They were in the middle of a very lengthy discussion when he heard the bedroom door creak open.

 

A few seconds later, Louis appeared in the doorway, rubbing his eyes. His hair was messy and the shirt was hanging off of one shoulder. He smiled tiredly when he saw Harry. 

 

"I'll call you back, Liam." Harry said, hanging up the phone. He slid it in his pocket and walked over to Louis. "How are you feeling?" He asked, touching his palms to Louis' cheeks. 

 

"Better. How long did I sleep?" Louis asked. 

 

"Most of the day, lovey. You were quite sick." Harry told him, rubbing Louis' small shoulders. 

 

"Is it dinner time yet?" Louis tapped his fingers against Harry's waist. 

 

Harry raised his eyebrows. "You feel like eating?" 

 

"Maybe to get something in my system." Louis replied. 

 

"How about some ginger ale and crackers?" Harry suggested. "Something light." 

 

"Deal. " Louis agreed quickly. He hated being sick, but maybe if he ate something light, it would settle his stomach for a bit. 

 

They walked downstairs and Harry made him sit on a stool while he handed him some crackers and some ginger ale. 

 

"Good?" Harry asked. Louis nodded. 

 

"I feel bad." Louis admitted. Harry furrowed his brows. 

 

"Why?" 

 

Louis shrugged. "It's your birthday. You shouldn't be here taking care of me. We should be out or something." 

 

"I've already told you that I don't mind taking care of you. I love taking care of you." He walked over to Louis and kissed the top of his head. "As long as we're together, I'm happy." 

 

"Are you sure?" Louis asked. 

 

Harry nodded. "Positive. Now, eat what you can and we'll go take a bath. Sound good?" 

 

"Sounds great." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I FORESHADOWED DID ANYONE CATCH IT
> 
> I HINTED AT SOMETHING 
> 
> PLEASE TELL ME SOMEONE FIGURED IT OUT
> 
> This was a filler so sorry if it was boring


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Je Suis Charlie

"Britain's Hottest Businessmen," Louis read one afternoon, walking into Harry's office. Harry was sitting typing, but he paused when Louis entered, holding a business magazine. "Harry Styles, of Styles & Payne Global, and father of four, in our opinion, is Britain's Hottest Businessman. When he's not jetsetting around the country with our Number Two, Liam Payne," Louis looked up at him and grinned, climbing onto Harry's lap. "He can be found taking his husband of two years on romantic rendezvous, or being with his children, as seen below." 

 

He pointed a collection of paparazzi photos on the bottom. "Oh, there's you with Bean! And that's when you took Lucas to the grocery store..and there's you carrying the twins in their car seats when we were leaving the hospital!" He exclaimed. 

 

Harry leaned forward and looked. "Where are you at?" He asked. 

 

"You put me in the car first, remember? You know, c-section and all. Kind of hurt to walk." Louis reminded him, closing the magazine. He tossed it on Harry's desk. "I'm gonna frame the article." 

 

Harry shook his head. "Oh, no you're not." 

 

Louis nodded and hooked his arms around Harry's neck. "Yes I am. My husband is Britain's Hottest Businessman." He kissed Harry's lips once. "And Britain's Hottest Father, apparently." 

 

Harry shrugged modestly. "I am a pretty hot father." He said. "I bear it with honor." 

 

Louis nodded. "You are a pretty hot father." He attached his lips to Harry's neck and nipped lightly. "The babies love you, and i love you, and now Britain loves you." 

 

Harry smoothed his hands over Louis' back, resting them at the top of his bum. "Only two of those matter," He said honestly. "Now," He squeezed Louis' arse in his hands. "I need to get back to work, unless you want me to take you right here, right now." 

 

Louis batted his eyelashes at Harry. "Are you offering?" 

 

"Naughty little minx," Harry growled. 

 

"Well, _Daddy_ ," Louis hopped off of Harry's lap and smiled innocently. "I've got to go feed our newest additions." He turned on his heel and scurried out of the room. Harry stared at his backside as he left, his pants beginning to get uncomfortably tight. 

 

He groaned and turned back to his computer. He would much rather sink himself into Louis than finish this report, but this was crucial, and he would most definitely not end the day without making Louis have at least one orgasm. With a groan, he resumed typing. 

-

 

On February seventh, Louis woke Harry up by kicking him repeatedly in the calf. When he finally opened his eyes and sat up, he was met with Louis, who was sitting cross-legged on the bed, holding both babies, who were wide awake. 

 

"Yay," He cheered, waving the babies' hands for them. "Daddy's awake!" 

 

"Louis," Harry sighed. "Why are you waking me up this early?" 

 

"Because we are now two months old!" He exclaimed, kissing each baby on the head. "Isn't that exciting?" Suddenly, his face fell and his eyes watered. "Oh, no, my babies are growing up already!" 

 

"Hey, shush baby." Harry sat up and took a baby from a now emotional Louis. He was no stranger to Louis' random mood swings. Dr. Bowen had said to expect them every now and then. C-sections weren't just physically impacting. "They're still gonna be babies for a long time. Lucas is still your baby right? And he's only a year and a half. And what about Bean, hm? He's two and a half." 

 

"Dada?" He heard from the doorway. He looked up and found Bean and Lucas standing next to each other, both heads cocked. 

 

He huffed a laugh. "They must've heard their names." He opened his arms. "Come here, boys." 

 

They didn't need to be told twice, both tripping over their feet to get to the bed. Louis wiped his eyes and laid Theo down gently. Harry did the same to Ollie, just in time to catch Bean, who jumped into his lap. Lucas was laying in Louis', head resting on his shoulder. 

 

"My baby?" Bean looked over at Theo, who was gurgling quietly. He leaned forward and patted Theo's thigh. "Good baby." 

 

"Is Theo your baby?" Harry asked the toddler, settling back against the pillows. Bean nodded. 

 

"Lucas mine." He replied, tugging on one of his curls. "Baby mine." 

 

"What about Ollie, Bean?" Louis asked, rubbing Lucas' back. 

 

Bean shook his head. "Not mine. Mummy's." 

 

Harry leaned down and looked at Bean. "All of you are Mummy's babies." 

 

"Love Mummy." Bean smiled widely at Louis. 

 

"And I love you." Louis said back. "And Lucas, and Theo, and Ollie." 

 

"Daddy?" Bean asked, pointing up to Harry. Louis nodded. 

 

"And Daddy." Louis looked up at Harry and smiled coyly. He'd been increasing his teasing towards Harry, and the older man loved it. Louis was more comfortable with his body now, and he took to flaunting it, wearing skimpy silk and lace panties and negligees. Each time he saw Louis wearing something like that, it would almost bring him to his knees.  _  
_

"And Daddy loves all of his babies." Harry responded, winking at Louis. The younger boy blushed and began to pet Lucas' soft tufts of hair. 

 

"Night night?" Lucas asked, looking up at Louis, yawning. Louis nodded. 

 

"Yes, baby. It's night night time." Louis said. He looked up at Harry. "Help me situate the babies?" 

 

Harry nodded and sat Bean down on the bed next to him. He lifted Ollie up, who was on his way to sleep. He jerked awake, and when he saw that it was Harry, he closed his eyes again. "Do they need fed?" He asked, standing. 

 

Louis carried Theo over to the bassinet, shaking his head. "No. I did before I woke you up." It was still dark outside, giving Harry some indication of what time it really was, seeing as how he neglected to check the time when he was woken up. 

 

When the babies were put safely down, Harry and Louis turned, watching as their oldest children kicked the covers down to burrow under them. Bean was laying half on top of Harry's pillow, leaving minimum room for his own head. Lucas was curled up in a small ball, waiting patiently for Louis to lay down next to him. It was clear who was going to have a good sleep. 

 

Harry laid down beside Bean, tugging the blankets up over himself. He turned to Bean, who was staring at him with big green eyes. He grinned when he came face to face with Harry. 

 

"Night night, Daddy." He said, throwing an arm over Harry's broad chest. 

 

"Night night, Beanie." Harry kissed Bean's forehead and looked over at Louis and Lucas, who were laying peacefully. He sighed and closed his eyes, feeling Bean's breath hit his face at every exhale, because only he would be blessed with a child who slept with their mouth wide open. 

-

 

"I think the babies are waking up-" Harry said, but Louis slapped his hand over Harry's mouth from where he was hovering over him. 

 

"If you would just be quiet and _get in me_ ," Louis whispered. They had limited time to do anything sexual, and until now, it was hurried handjobs while snogging sloppily. But now, Louis pushed him onto the bed and mounted him, eager for it. And who was he to deny it? 

 

Harry kissed Louis' palm and steadied his cock. Louis sank down quickly, not even bothering to take it slow. Once he was impaled, he took a few deep breaths and let himself adjust to Harry's girth. 

 

"Either your cock got bigger-" Louis breathed. "Or I got smaller." 

 

Harry grinned wickedly. "Both?" He winked. 

 

"Modest." Louis complimented. He swiveled his hips in figure eights. "But great job on the prep work. Doesn't burn as much as I thought." 

 

"I'm glad. An hour with my fingers in your arse should've done some good." 

 

"Oh, it did." Louis said, testing the waters by bouncing a bit. "Okay, right there. Don't move from that spot, Harry Edward Styles." 

 

"Ooh, I got it, didn't I?" Harry cheeked, moving his hips up, hitting Louis' bundle of nerves. Louis tossed his head back and whined. 

 

"Yes, you got it. Now please make me come. I don't want the babies to wake up and find us doing unspeakable things." 

 

Harry planted his feet on the bed and gripped Louis' hips. "Got it, baby. But just a warning, I might bust soon." 

 

Louis nodded while bouncing. "Me too." He breathed. Harry began to thrust up quickly, pulling Louis down with every thrust. The smaller boys head was thrown back in ecstasy, and his whimpers were getting louder. 

 

"Right there, right there," He chanted. "Don't stop, Harry, don't stop!" 

 

"Sh, baby. Gotta be quiet or else the babies will wake." Harry grunted. Louis tightened around his cock and he let out a hiss. It felt heavenly to be back inside of the boy after months. 

 

Louis shook his head and bit his knuckle. He looked sensational, bouncing on Harry's cock. They were made for each other, and no one could tell Harry otherwise. "Can't." He moaned at a particularly hard thrust. "Too good!" 

 

Harry tilted his hips and brought Louis down to his level, licking over the boys lips. They didn't really snog, but their lips met and they panted into each others mouths. HE gripped Louis hips tighter as the pressure on his cock increased. Louis' own was trapped against their bodies, rubbing hotly against Harry's abs. 

 

"Baby," He moaned. "You gotta come, because I'm about too." 

 

Louis nodded and buried his face beside Harry's ear, letting his husband hear his filthy moans and whimpers. "Harry-" He choked out. "I'm gonna come!" He threaded his fingers through Harry's messy, sweaty curls and came between them, painting Harry's stomach white. 

 

As soon as he felt Louis' hole tighten incredibly, signaling that Louis had came, he followed, pumping his hips as he filled the condom up. Louis whined. 

 

"Wanted to feel you." He pouted, breathing heavily. Harry laughed and pulled out slowly. 

 

"Once your birth control sets in, I'll come inside of you as many times as you want." Harry promised, tying the condom up and tossing it in the bin next to the bed. Louis rolled off of him and grimaced at the sticky, white substance gluing them together. 

 

"Shower?" Harry asked, sitting up. Louis nodded and Harry helped him out of bed. Harry walked normally while Louis limped, narrowing his eyes at Harry. 

 

"I can't feel my legs." He acknowledged, waiting for Harry to start the shower. Harry only chuckled in response and helped him into the streaming water. 

 

"Don't worry, love." Harry said, closing the door. "You were so tight, I don't think I can feel my cock." 

-

 

"No, Beanie. We don't put food down our pants." Louis said gently. "Harry, can you tell your son that french fries go in his mouth and not down his pants?" 

 

Harry looked up from where he was sitting in the armchair, reading a piece of paper. "Beanie." He said before returning to it. Louis frowned. 

 

"Alright," He muttered. "Beanie, no more french fries until you eat the ones that are in your pants." He took the cardboard box away from the toddler and tried not to laugh when Bean shoved a handful into his mouth. 

 

They were all eating dinner on a blanket in the living room. The two boys wanted to have a picnic, but seeing as there was two inches of snow on the ground, it wasn't possible. So, Louis started the fire and laid a blanket down. Each boy had their own kids meal, complete with a fun toy, and they were both happy. Even Duke was chewing on a new bone. 

 

But Louis was just a tad bit bothered by how Harry was working. He'd even told Louis not to order him anything. He just planted himself in an armchair with some folders and set to work. 

 

Knowing that Harry wouldn't join them anytime soon, he focused on his children, talking and playing with them. When they had eaten their dinner, Louis let them play with their toys while he cleaned up and fed the twins. 

 

When it was finally bedtime, he got Harry's attention, only by saying his name twelve times. 

 

"What?" Harry finally looked up, frowning. 

 

"Bedtime," Louis said, motioning to the two tired boys, still playing on the ground. Harry sighed and sat his papers down. He picked up Bean and Lucas and started walking towards the stairs. Louis sighed and followed with the twins. 

 

They set about their nightly routine, Harry bathing the two boys while Louis fed and changed the twins. When Harry went back downstairs for his stuff, he let Duke out. Louis knew he'd stay down there for awhile, so he went ahead and went to bed.

 

-

 

He woke up around midnight for the twins' routine feeding, and when he was done feeding Theo and now had Ollie attached to him, he was surprised to see that Harry still wasn't in bed. So, he went looking for him. He found the man downstairs, sitting on the edge of the armchair, papers laid out on the coffee table in front of him. 

 

"Harry?" He asked, causing the man to look up tiredly. 

 

"What are you doing up?" Harry asked. Louis motioned to the feeding baby. Harry nodded and scrubbed a hand over his face. 

 

"Why are you still up?" Louis asked, walking over to Harry and sitting next to him. Harry leaned back and sighed. 

 

"Have to look over these papers. Something happened with the filing, and now it's a whole, jumbled mess." Harry told him. He looked over at Ollie, who was still sucking eagerly. "First feeding of the night?" He asked. 

 

Louis nodded. "Have you eaten anything at all?" He asked. He didn't want Harry to become so stressed that he couldn't eat. 

 

Harry shook his head. "Been too focused on this." 

 

"Do you want me to make you something?" Louis offered. "I might have some tea. I could cook you something." 

 

"Don't trouble yourself. I can get something." Harry gathered his papers and stacked them neatly. He stood, holding his hand out for Louis. They went to the kitchen, where Harry ate a sandwich quickly. Ollie was asleep now, curled up in Louis' arms. 

 

"Let me take him." Harry said, taking the baby into his own arms. He loved watching his babies sleep. They were so small and precious, and he loved them so much. He carried Ollie upstairs, Louis in front of him. Admittedly, he ogled Louis' bum, but can you blame him? It was magnificent. 

 

When they got to the bedroom, Harry laid Ollie down with a kiss to the nose. He did the same to Theo, watching the babies squirm in their sleep to find a comfortable position. 

 

Louis was already in bed by the time he turned around. He stripped his clothes off and crawled up next to him, landing with a thud. 

 

"Night, baby. I love you." He brought Louis' left hand up to his lips and kissed his wedding ring softly. 

 

"I love you too." Louis replied, blushing. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Louis really was sick in the previous chapter-not pregnant! 
> 
> And I'm terribly sorry for the slow updates! I'm writing a A/B/O Larry and that's kind of held my interest for the past few days
> 
> QUESTION: If you could have any Larry fic be real (and you got a front row seat), right down to the punctuation, by Louis and Harry themselves, which one would it be? 
> 
> I've been thinking about this for days and I can't decide!!!
> 
> And I DO read your comments, and I try to respond as quickly as possible!


	7. Chapter 7

When Harry got home from work one afternoon, he was expecting to see his happy family, either eating or playing. He didn't count on seeing Louis sobbing his eyes out in the sitting room while Bean and Lucas played in their ball pit. Of course, he dropped his briefcase and hurried to his husband. 

 

"Baby, why are you so upset?" He asked, getting down to his knees so that he was face to face with Louis. He rested his hands on Louis' knees and looked at the boy. "I can't help you if you don't tell me." 

 

"It's just-" Louis cried. "I can't ever get a break." 

 

Harry sat in confusion. "A break from what, lovely?" Surely he didn't mean his family. Louis loved his family so much. 

 

Louis sniffled and wiped his nose on the jumper that he was wearing. "I just feel like all I'm good for is feeding the twins all the time." He buried his face in the crook of Harry's neck. "Like some milk machine." 

 

"Oh darling." Harry cooed. "Don't think that way. The twins need you. How else can they get their nutrition? They can't help being hungry all the time, lovely. Their tummies are so small, remember? And they've got to eat to grow up so big and strong. You're the most important person to them right now, they love their mummy so much. You love them, too, okay?"

 

Louis nodded. "I know. I just-sometimes it hurts." 

 

"I know baby. You're so good, hm? You're not a milk machine, doll. You're a mummy, and you take care of my babies so well. Every single one of them. You take care of me so well, too, love. I can't get over how great you are. You're so loving and nurturing; the perfect mummy." 

 

"Not perfect." Louis protested. 

 

"Yes you are, love. You're perfect to everyone in this house. The babies love you so much, and I love you so much." Harry kissed the side of his neck. "How about this, you go take a long, hot bath, and I'll take care of the babies. You've got some milk in the refrigerator for them, I'll give them that. You don't have to nurse tonight if you don't want too. I know how much you can hurt." Harry rubbed Louis' back. 

 

Louis nodded. Harry helped him stand and offered Louis his handkerchief to wipe his eyes. He sent Louis on his way upstairs. When the boy was no longer in sight, he went into the den to gather up his toddlers. They were both happy to see him, kissing his face and tugging on his hair. 

 

He made them pancakes at Lucas' request, and gave them minimal syrup. He didn't want them hyper before bed. While they ate, he gathered the twins and fed them the bottles he'd warmed in the bottle warmer. They both sucked down all of their milk happily, pleasing Harry. All of his boys had great appetites, and he knew they'd all grow up to be big and strong. 

 

But, he secretly hoped that one of them would turn out like Louis, all cute and small. Lucas was definitely the only one so far who looked like Louis. The other three had thick, brown hair that would inevitably turn to a wild mess of curls. Bean was already sporting tight ringlets and they drove Louis crazy. He hated detangling the boys hair every morning. 

 

After they had finished their pancakes and Harry wiped their hands and faces down, he carried them upstairs for bath time. He let them sit in the tub and play with the bubbles for a bit before scrubbing them clean. He had to keep a hand on Lucas' back because the one and a half year would slide all over the place. 

 

Bean toppled over a bottle of shampoo onto Harry's pants and he got splashed by Lucas, so that was the end of bath time. He dried them off and diapered them, trying to corral them into bed. Bean was running around the room naked, having stripped his diaper off, and Lucas giggled hysterically from the crib. 

 

Harry finally caught Bean and the toddler squealed in delight. Harry finally got clothes on the boy and Bean finally settled down. Harry kissed each forehead and waited until they were sleeping soundly before leaving the room. Duke was making his was into the nursery for nightly baby watch, scooting past Harry in the doorway. 

 

When he got into the master bedroom, the only light came from Louis' lamp, creating a soft glow. Louis was sitting on the edge of the bed, rubbing lotion into a tan calf. He was wearing a pair of panties and a silk nightie, one of Harry's favorites. His hair was feathery and soft and he smiled at Harry when the older man came into the room. 

 

"Feel better?" Harry asked, shedding his wet dress pants and shirt, leaving him in tight grey briefs. Louis nodded and sat the lotion onto his nightstand. Harry peeked over at the twins, who were laying in their bassinet, sleeping soundly. 

 

"Much." Louis replied, standing. He looked breathtaking. It was clear that he'd shed some of his baby weight, mainly with the help of breastfeeding. Which reminded Harry...He opened his briefcase and pulled out the pharmacy bag. 

 

"Here's your birth control. When do you want to start it?" Harry asked, handing the white paper bag to Louis. He watched the boy open it. 

 

"You're starting work again in the mornings, right?" Louis asked, taking the small round case out of the bag and sitting it on his nightstand. Harry nodded and sat on the bed, leaning back. "Then you can just wake me up before you go and I can take it then. I'll forget. My mind is a jumbled mess." 

 

He sat on the bed next to Harry and leaned into him. "Four kids is hard." He said. Harry nodded. 

 

"I've been meaning to talk to you about that." He said. Louis looked at him with a questioning glance. "I think four should be it." 

 

Louis furrowed his eyebrows. "Why?" He sat up and crossed his legs. "I mean, four is a lot, but why not try again in a few years?" 

 

"I was actually thinking about getting a vasectomy. Just in case." He met Louis' blue eyes. "Birth control isn't always effective, and we've got our first born to prove that." 

 

"We didn't wait for it to kick in," Louis defended. "It's not Bean's fault." 

 

"I know, love. I'm glad we had him." Harry said. 

 

"Well what happens in a few years when I want another one? You can't reverse it." Louis asked. 

 

"We can adopt." Harry answered. 

 

"I want my children to come from me." He replied. "I thought you wanted more?" 

 

Harry shook his head. "Five is too much, baby. You know that. I don't want you getting sick. Four kids in three years, that's a lot." 

 

"Please just don't get one. We can use condoms and I'll be on the pill, but please don't make up your mind already." Louis pleaded. Harry sighed and leaned his head back. Louis was right. Who's to say he wouldn't want one more in a five or so years? A vasectomy would seal the no-children deal. In five years, Bean would be eight, Lucas would be seven, and the twins would be five. 

 

He lifted his head and looked at his beautiful husband. "Alright." He said. "No vasectomy." 

 

Louis grinned and hopped onto Harry's lap. "I love you!" 

 

Harry could only smile at the exuberant boy. "But, you have to take your pill everyday and if you skip once, I'll have to wear condoms, and I know how much you hate them." 

 

Louis nodded. "I will." 

 

That night, Harry went to sleep regretting his decision. He _really_ didn't want five children. He just needed to learn how to say no to Louis. 

 

-

 

 "And we put a sock over these tootsies," Louis sing-songed while sliding a green sock over Ollie's foot. "And another over these tootsies, and now we've got warm little feeties!" He waved Ollie's feet around in the air, watching as the two month old smiled and flailed his hands. "Daddy's gonna be so happy to see his little boys, hm? And you both can show off your new little [outfits](http://www.justmultiples.com/onesies-long-sleeve-love.html)." 

 

Beside Ollie, Theo, who was already dressed and getting aggravated, kicked his feet and blew spit bubbles. His [hat](http://beaniedesigns.com/product/bear-hat-blan-tan-2/) was falling off of his head, and even though it matched Ollie's, it was quite annoying. 

 

"Just a moment, my impatient little boy." Louis cooed. He pulled some red pants over the boys' legs and slid tiny little boots onto their feet. Once they were both wearing warm, fuzzy little jackets and scarves, he lifted them into his arms. "My goodness, you two are so handsome." 

 

Downstairs was quiet, save for Duke snoring. His mum had come by earlier that morning and picked the boys up, taking them for the weekend. He was thankful to have the weekend to himself and Harry, and he was going to surprise Harry today for lunch, with their youngest. He was excited, because the last time he was in Harry's office, it was to tell him that he was pregnant with Lucas. 

 

He settled the boys into the car and made sure that he had the baby sling, just in case one or both became restless at the office or the restaurant, before driving off. He was no stranger to Harry's building and he found it with ease, pulling into a parking spot and hopping out. He decided to carry the babies in his arms for now, having nowhere to put the sling. 

 

The receptionist waved to him on the first floor and they chatted for awhile. She cooed and fawned over his babies, delighted. She was an older woman and her children were already grown, and she confided to him that she hadn't been given grandchildren yet. So, he let her hold one for a short period of time before she had to get back to work. 

 

He waved to her and got onto the elevator, riding to the top floor. There were a few other people getting on and off, and everyone managed to fall in love with the two infants. By the time he reached the top, he was the only one in the elevator. When it dinged, he stepped off and greeted Amy, Harry's secretary. 

 

"Mr. Styles is very busy-just a warning. He's been snapping at people all day." She said from her desk, shaking her head. "Hasn't let anyone in his office today." 

 

"Thanks for the heads up." Louis nodded to her. He managed to get the door opened and he stepped in quickly, closing it behind him. Harry was sitting at his desk, looking positively angered beyond belief. 

 

"What in the bloody hell is it now?" He snapped without looking up. 

 

"Well, Daddy," Louis said, walking to the desk. He sat down in a plush armchair and rested the babies on his legs. "That's hardly any way to speak to the love of your life and your two youngest offspring." 

 

Harry's head snapped up and even though he looked tired and angry, he was still so perfect. A small smile graced his lips when he saw Louis and the boys. He rolled his chair away from the desk and walked over to where Louis was sitting. He sat in the armchair opposite and leaned forward, kissing Louis' lips. 

 

"Sorry about that, lovey." He apologized. 

 

"Rough day?" Louis asked, unbuttoning Ollie's jacket to reveal the onesie. 

 

Harry nodded. "Bloody insane." He took Ollie from Louis and cooed down at the infant. "Are they wearing new outfits?" He asked, looking from one to the other. 

 

Louis nodded and grinned. He held up Theo, who was wearing the onesie that had a heart with LO inside of it. Ollie was wearing the one that said VE, and when they were side by side, the hearts spelled LOVE. 

 

"That's precious." Harry said.

 

"Daddy's credit card only buys the best for my little babies." Louis said cheekily. There was truth to the statement, because Harry did give Louis full access to his credit cards.

 

Harry rolled his eyes and leaned down to kiss Ollie's hat covered forehead. The infant blinked at him and scrunched his face. 

 

Louis caught the face and made his own face. "Okay, so that face means he's either about to need a diaper change or he's going to get sick on you. Either way, you're cleaning it. I've been up to my elbows in messy diapers and stained clothing." 

 

"How do you know what his faces are? He could just be less than thrilled to see me." Harry said, looking at Louis. 

 

"Because these babies spend most of their time on my nipples, and when they've had too much to eat, it comes out one way or the other. I just haven't distinguished the looks yet." Louis told him. "And trust me, Ollie wouldn't get off before we left. He's got a full tummy." 

 

Harry looked down at his son and smiled. "Did Daddy's baby get his belly full?" He asked sweetly. "Good boy." 

 

"I didn't bring any cloths with me," Louis muttered. "So that means if he gets sick, it'll be all over your suit." 

 

Harry shook his head and lifted Ollie up. "I don't think he's going to get sick. Maybe just-" 

 

He couldn't finish his sentence before the baby was getting sick all over his very expensive suit. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. When he opened his eyes, Ollie was staring at him and Louis was cringing. 

 

"I honestly have no idea what to do." Harry said. This was one of the first times he'd been thrown up on by one of his babies. However, Lucas did get sick on him when he had the flu, but that was different. This was a mix of chalky, watery breast-milk and spit. 

 

Louis stood up and laid Theo down on the chair gently before shrugging his coat off. He pulled the sleeve of his jumper over his hand and began to mop up the mess with it. Harry watched with a frown on his face. 

 

"Why are you using your sleeve?" He asked. 

 

"I do it all the time." Louis answered. When the mess was cleaned from Harry's front, he pulled his sleeve back down and rolled it up so that the wetness wasn't touching his wrist. He wiped the mess up from Ollie's face with his fingers and wiped them on his pants. When he was satisfied, he picked Theo back up and sat down. 

 

Harry had honestly no idea how this happened. When had Louis completely assumed the role of mother? Harry really only saw Louis feeding the children and playing with them, reading them books and giving them baths. He never saw the gross stuff; Louis cleaning spit-up with his fingers and sweater, changing extremely messy diapers, scrubbing unrecognizable stains out of his shirts or the carpets, or chain feeding the children, one after the other, because they didn't want to eat regular food. 

 

He only knew of the so-called happy times, not the stressful times when Louis would cook and cook only to have no one eat it. He didn't know that Louis would sometimes lock himself in the bathroom and cry for a few minutes. He had no idea that Louis always dreamed of getting a hotel room to himself and finishing off a whole bottle of wine and sleeping.

 

He made a mental note to have a deep conversation with Louis later that night.

 

"Y'okay?" Louis asked, smiling at him.

 

"Yeah, just zoned out." Harry said. He checked his watch. "So, what brought you three here anyway?"

 

"Well, my mum took the boys today, and I got to talking to these two rugrats, and they wanted to see if you wanted to go to-"

 

The door busted open, causing Louis to stop talking. A tall, leggy blonde stood in the doorway, smiling and cocking her hip. Amy stood behind her, looking frantic.

 

"I tried to stop her, Mr. Styles." She apologized. Harry stood and held a hand up. 

 

"That's quite alright, Amy." He said to her. 

 

The blonde clicked her tongue. "Harry!" She said obnoxiously. "You never replied to my message! So are we still on for lunch?" 

 

Louis looked down at the sleepy infant in his arms. Harry nodded slowly. "Louis, Cara. Cara, Louis." 

 

Louis stood and gave her a tight smile. He situated Theo in his arms and took Ollie. "I just remembered that there's a ton of laundry that needs to be done." He said. Cara was still smiling. 

 

Harry turned to Louis. "What were you saying before?" 

 

"Nothing." Louis replied. 

 

"Harry!" Cara said, resting her hand on her hip. "Are we going to lunch or not? You promised!" She actually whined and stomped her foot, pouting. 

 

"Yes, Cara." He turned to her. "Give me a minute." 

 

"I really should get going." Louis pushed past Harry and nodded to Cara. "Nice meeting you." He brushed past Cara and Amy and walked to the elevators. His face was burning and he was thankful that there was no one who got on the elevators the whole ride down. He waved to the receptionist and made his way outside. The wind was cold on his face and he tucked his babies into his chest to protect them. 

 

He buckled them into the car quickly and covered them with a fuzzy blanket, covering their hands and feet. 

 

"Alright, darlings." He muttered as he was pulling out of the parking lot. "Let's see what we can find at home, hm? And if we can't find anything, we'll just have to go shopping. Theo, how does that sound? Ollie?" 

 

He had meaningless conversation with them the whole ride home and as he was carrying them into the house. He sat them in their nappers and began to look through the cabinets. He finally settled on some leftover pasta and ate it standing up. 

 

He was stupid to think that he could have one day out of the house without there being any interruptions. Of course Harry made lunch plans with a beautiful girl. He probably ate with a different one every week. They were models and he was...not. He was dowdy and plain. There was nothing special about him, really. 

 

He busied himself that day with cleaning. He did several loads of laundry, washing, drying, folding, distributing. He cleaned the kitchen and mopped it, vacuumed the den and the guest bedroom. He dusted everything that could be dusted. He paused to feed the twins, and then moved on to the upstairs. 

 

By the time he was done, it was nearing dinnertime and he was exhausted. He just wanted to crawl into bed and sleep. Nothing was stopping him, so he carried the babies upstairs, fed them one at a time, changed them one at a time, and laid them to bed. 

 

He changed out of his clothes and pulled on a jumper and some leggings and crawled into bed. He turned of his lamp and stretched out in the middle of the bed, falling asleep.

 

-

 

Lunch had been awful. Cara was a sweet girl, but she made it obvious that she was in love with him, and that made him uneasy. She'd ordered expensive champagne and an expensive entree, and chattered loudly. Those three things were only okay when Louis did it, and she was not Louis. 

 

He had to force a smile throughout the day with her, and when the bill finally came, he paid it and hurried out, ignoring her calls. Work after that was a bummer. It stressed him out again, but he'd managed to keep his cool. He couldn't help but think about Louis all day, wondering why the boy got so dressed up and visited him at work. 

 

When he got home, the house was dark and smelled of lemon cleaner. He toed his shoes off at the door and locked it, setting the alarm code. He walked upstairs and entered the master bedroom. It was only eight o'clock, but Louis was fast asleep in the middle of the bed. He kicked his pants off and unbuttoned his shirt. He didn't bother to put any pajamas on, he just laid in bed next to Louis and spooned the smaller boy. 

 

Louis shifted and opened his eyes. "Harry?" He asked. 

 

"Sorry, love." Harry said from behind him. "Hey, Louis?" 

 

"Hm?" 

 

"Why exactly did you come to the office today?" He asked. "It was a wonderful surprise, but you left pretty quickly." 

 

Louis cleared his throat. "Wanted to take you to lunch." He said. "But you were busy." 

 

Harry's heart fell. "Darling-" 

 

Louis shook his head. "It's fine. I had to clean the house anyway." 

 

Harry frowned. "You know I would have cancelled if you had told me." 

 

"It was one of your clients." 

 

"So? You're my number one priority." Harry said. 

 

Louis shrugged his shoulders. "We can just go out in a few weeks," He yawned. "And like I said, I had to do some stuff around the house." 

 

Harry didn't know what to say. "Baby, you're not a maid. Cleaning shouldn't even be on your list right now. Taking care of my babies is what I want you doing. You deserve a day out. I wish you would have said something. You haven't been out of this house in weeks." 

 

"Harry, it's fine." 

 

"No it's not. You need to start putting yourself first. I want you to be happy and pampered. I want to spoil you as much as I can. I guess I haven't been doing a very good job, either." He said. He kissed Louis' shoulder. "Tomorrow, we're going out. Deal?" 

 

Louis nodded his head. "If I say yes, can I go back to sleep?" 

 

Harry laughed quietly behind him. "Yes, lovely." 

 

"Then yes." 

 

Harry wrapped his arms around Louis and held him close. "Now, goodnight baby." 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> W H O A 
> 
> shittaaaay


	8. Chapter 8

"Thank you." Louis said to Harry. They were strolling hand in hand through the mall after a romantic dinner at a celebrated, five star restaurant. 

 

They had left the twins with Jay and Dan, much to Louis' disappointment. He quickly got over not having his babies with him, realizing just how much he needed this day off. 

 

After dinner, neither wanted to rush back home and get the twins, so Harry drove them to the mall, so here they were. 

 

Harry lifted their threaded fingers to his mouth and kisses Louis' knuckles. "You're welcome, love."

 

"While we're here, we need to look at potty chairs." Louis said, effectively shattering the moment. They weren't husbands anymore. They were back to being parents.

 

Hary sighed and nodded. Louis caught on and slapped a hand over his mouth and looked guilty.

 

"I'm sorry." He said, laying his head on Harry's bicep as they walked. "I forgot."

 

"It's alright, darling." Harry assured him.

 

"It's hard to not talking about the babies. I'm just so used to them taking up my whole mind. It's difficult." Louis admitted. 

 

Harry nodded. He agreed 100%. He'd been thinking about his four children on and off all night too. 

 

"I know, sweets." He replied. "But right now, this is mean and you. Okay?" 

 

Louis smiled up at Harry. "Okay." They walked in silence for a few more moments, looking in display windows. 

 

They paused in in front of baby store that was decorated in bright reds and whites and pinks. Louis made a noise in his throat and looked up at Harry. 

 

The older man sighed before reaching into his back pocket and pulling his credit card out. He handed it to the smaller boy. 

 

Louis squealed and stood on his tiptoes to plant a sweet kiss to Harry's cheek before rushing into the store. Harry followed behind, watching as Louis lifted articles of clothing and examined the stitching, design, and brand.

 

Harry watched with a sense of pride. His boy wanted nothing but the best for his babies, and he was prepared to let Louis have full reign of his credit cards and bank account. Everything Louis bought was top of the line; organic foods, name brand clothes, and educational toys. 

 

Louis held up a pair of fuzzy red socks with white pom-poms on them and grinned. Harry knew that at least one if not all of his sons would fall victim to them.

 

"Theo's little feeties get cold." Louis told him, frowning down at the little table bin of fuzzy socks. He gathered a few more pairs in different colors before turning to Harry. "A pair for everyday of the week!" 

 

Harry held out his hands and Louis dropped the socks into them. "Anything else, love? Do any of our other children have cold  _feeties_?" He had an amused smile etched on his face.

 

Louis nodded slowly and actually pondered the question. Bean never wore socks because Harry wouldn't allow it. Every time Bean wore socks, he would take them off and throw them at Harry. So now the two and a half year old had to wear pajama bottoms with feet. 

 

"I do know that Lucas needs some new pajamas. His favorite pair has a hole in the knee from where he fell and snagged it. The ones with the puppies on them?" Louis set about the store, looking for an exact replica of the pajamas, with Harry following silently behind him. He stopped and whirled around with a huge smile on his face when he saw a Father/Son section. 

 

"Oh, look!" Louis said excitedly, holding up matching shirts.

 

"The idea is cute, but I wouldn't be caught dead in that shirt, love." Harry said a best as he could without sounding like a huge dick. Louis dropped his stare to the shirts before nodding and putting them back on the table.

 

"No, you're right. They are kind of ridiculous." He laughed quietly, hoping that it didn't sound too forced. "Let's get the pajamas and socks and then look for a potty chair. I think we'd better get back to the twins."

 

Harry caught Louis' elbow. "Hey, what's wrong? You've retreated back into your mind."

 

Louis shrugged. "I just-I guess I have this compulsive need to show you off. I don't know why."

 

"Why, baby?" Harry pressed.

 

"I just never imagined my life like this, with you. No one else would have seen it coming, either." Louis said.

 

Harry's heart softened. "Oh, lovely." He tugged Louis under his arm and planted a kiss to his soft hair. "I am so lucky to have you. And I think it's cute that you want to show me off."

 

Louis peeked up at him. "Really?" He squeaked.

 

Harry nodded. "Oh, yeah. My tiny little lovebug showing me off. Very cute."

 

Louis blushed and tugged himself out of Harry's grasp, keeping their hands twisted together. "But seriously. I need to feed them. I'm getting uncomfortable." 

 

"Why can't I help?" Harry asked suggestively. 

 

"Because my babies need it more than you." Louis said, putting the items on the counter to have them checked out. Harry frowned. 

 

"But by the time I get to you, there's nothing left." He swiped his credit card and signed the receipt. It was over eighty dollars just for the socks, pajamas, and potty chair, but he didn't even blink twice at the price. Eighty dollars was nothing. 

 

Louis accepted the bag from the sales associate and stepped away, pulling Harry with him. "That's because they eat until they're full, which means they don't stop until there's nothing left. You should be happy that they're eating so good." 

 

Harry nodded and led Louis outside. "I'm thrilled. Watching you feed my babies is like nothing I've ever seen before. It's a beautiful sight." 

 

Louis blushed and adjusted the bag in his hands. Harry was carrying the potty chair, still in the box, and he hoped that there were no paparazzi around. He didn't fancy being splashed across every rag tomorrow morning holding a potty chair.

 

 They buckled up and drove to Jay's house. Louis called ahead and had her and Dan wait outside with the twins. Bean and Lucas were already asleep and he didn't want them to get upset that they didn't get to come home with them. They arrived and got out of the car. Harry chatted with Dan for a few minutes while Louis got the babies settled in their car seats. 

 

"Think about what we talked about." Jay said, pulling Louis into a hug before they left. 

 

"I will, mum. Thanks for watching them for us." He closed the car door and Harry pulled away. They were halfway home when Harry spoke. 

 

"What did your mum want you to think about?" He asked, turning onto their street. 

 

"She was talking to me about how I should think of getting some help, maybe a nanny or something like that." Louis replied, unbuckling his seat belt. 

 

"It's not a terrible idea." Harry nodded once. "It would certainly help you more." 

 

Harry pulled the car into the garage and pressed the close button. Once the garage door was closed, they each got out and lifted a twin up. 

 

"I know. I'm just hesitant to bring a stranger around the boys. Clearly Lucas doesn't like anyone around you, and besides, Duke is very protective. He might scare someone off." 

 

Harry closed and locked the door behind them and sat the keys in a glass bowl. "You should seriously think about it, love. You never know." 

 

They headed upstairs. Harry wanted to shower and Louis needed to feed the babies. He tandem fed them while Harry was stripping and showering, and they ate until they both fell asleep at the nipple. Louis waited until Harry was done before calling out. 

 

"You've got to help me." He called into the bathroom from the bed. "They've fallen asleep." 

 

Harry came out in a pair of grey briefs and grinned down at the two sleeping boys. He lifted Theo up and cradled him. 

 

"I'm going to assume they had a wonderful meal, then." He winked at Louis and walked Theo over to the changing table to fix him up for bedtime. Once he was done, he laid the baby down in the bassinet while Louis stood to do the same to Ollie. 

 

After the two babies had been laid in the bed, Harry and Louis stood over them, watching them sleep. They never strayed too far from each other, always keeping a hand or a leg next to the others. It was the cutest sight. 

 

Harry hooked his arm around Louis' waist and kissed the boys head. 

 

"Come on, love. You need to sleep." He said, walking with Louis over to the bed. They situated themselves under the covers until their legs were threaded and Louis' head was resting on Harry's chest. 

 

"Hey," Louis said, tapping and tracing his fingers over Harry's bellybutton. He liked feeling the taut and firm skin there, the softness under his fingertips. He loved feeling the muscles jump. 

 

"Hm." Harry replied, running a single finger up and down Louis' spine. 

 

"Four days until Valentines day. You know what that means, right?" 

 

"I get to spend thousands of dollars on you again?" Harry asked, only half kidding. After the bill from last Valentines day showed up, he was only slightly alarmed. But then again, he had bought Louis a car amongst other things. But he was willing to spend millions of Louis if he felt like it. 

 

"Ha ha." Louis said dryly. "But no. That means after Valentines day, there's only a month before our second anniversary." 

 

"I knew that." Harry told him. Damn. Why did he always forget these things?

 

"I believe you," Louis lied. "Anything special planned?" 

 

"Of course." Harry fibbed. Louis seemed to buy the answer and he closed his eyes happily. Once Harry knew the boy was sleeping, he began planning. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i have a feeling by the end of this book yall are gonna love me
> 
> start expecting shorter but juicier chapter okay?


	9. Chapter 9

When Harry came home from work on Monday, he was pleasantly surprised and his mood lifted. There was a great smell coming from the kitchen, Duke was sleeping peacefully in the sitting room, and there was laughter from the kitchen. 

 

He dropped his briefcase and loosened his tie. He kicked his shoes off and made his way to the kitchen, where his family sat. Louis was standing on one side of the counter while the boys sat on the other. They both were wearing one of Harry's old work shirts, the ones that Bean had painted and Louis made into play shirts, and they each had a small, round, circle of dough in front of them. 

 

Louis was spreading some sauce on each circle before handing each boy a bowl of cheese to sprinkle on it. Louis himself had a bigger circle of dough sitting in front of him, presumably for he and Harry. 

 

Harry watched for a few moments before making his presence known by sneaking up on Louis and wrapping his strong arms around his smaller husband. He kissed the side of Louis' neck and smiled. 

 

"Smells good in here." He complimented. Bean looked up at him and grinned. 

 

"Pizza, Daddy!" He cried, pointing to his own messy pizza. Harry gasped. 

 

"That's perfect!" He exclaimed, walking over to the boys and kissing both of their heads. "Can Daddy help?" 

 

Both Bean and Lucas shook their heads, too preoccupied with their creations. 

 

"Daddy," Louis said. "You can help with this one. I've got to get theirs in the oven." 

 

"You got it, Mummy." Harry walked back over to where Louis was standing. Louis glared at him. He took the ladle covered in pizza sauce from Louis and shrugged. "What do I do?" 

 

"Well, you cover it in cheese and then you top it." He said, lifting Lucas' pizza from the counter and sliding it in the oven. He did the same to Bean's, and gave them each a juicebox, wiped their hands, and sent them to the den. 

 

"Is there any limit on to how much stuff I can put on it?" Harry asked, sprinkling a handful of cheese onto the dough. 

 

"Load it up. I didn't eat lunch." Louis said, wiping up the mess from the other side of the counter. Harry frowned at him. 

 

"I want you to eat, Louis." Harry told him. "I don't like it when you skip meals." 

 

"I didn't do it on purpose." Louis shrugged. "Time flew by, and there was so much to do, and the boys were so busy." 

 

"If you need to take a break, baby, just call me. You know I'll always come home." Harry reminded him. He didn't know why Louis never called him at work now. He had before, and that was when they had one child. Now, Louis' got four to take care of and he never calls. 

 

"I know, I know." Louis sidled up to Harry and kissed his bicep. "But I was actually thinking about hiring someone? I thought about it this morning and during nap time. I just need someone to watch the kids while I go run errands or even while I need to nap or shower or something." 

 

Harry nodded. "I support you fully, okay? I don't want you getting overwhelmed. I want you happy and healthy." 

 

"I promise that I won't." Louis hopped up onto the counter next to Harry, who was putting the finishing touches on the pizza. He waited until Harry had slid it into the oven before hooking his ankles around Harry's thighs and pulling the older man between his spread legs. Harry's hands rested on Louis' thighs. 

 

"Yes?" Harry asked, raising an eyebrow. 

 

"Fancy a snog before dinner?" Louis asked innocently. 

 

"I will never say no to that." Harry responded before capturing Louis' lips in his. They snogged quietly in the kitchen while their children sat in the opposite room, and yet, neither seemed to care that one of their toddlers could meander in at any given moment. 

  
They kept each others lips occupied until the oven beeped twelve minutes later. They pulled away reluctantly and Harry moved to get the pizzas out of the oven while Louis gathered up the plates and cups. 

 

Harry cut the boys' pizzas and let them cool before calling them into the kitchen. They tottered in one by one and accepted their little plastic plates from Harry, toddling back into the den. Louis watched them go. 

 

"I'm not even worried about the carpet or the couches or their clothes." He said, handing Harry a plate. "I've completely relinquished the idea of having a clean house with four boys." 

 

Harry laughed beside him. "I'll buy you new furniture if I need too." They took their plates to the table and sat down, not wanting to watch whatever children's program that they boys were watching. It was nice, eating by themselves. It was kind of like a little date. 

-

**_Valentine's Day_ **

 

"Another one, love?" Harry asked, running his hand over the hot, red flesh of Louis' arse. Louis nodded quickly and Harry brought the paddle back down across his bum, loving the crack when the paddle met the skin. "You're doing so good, lovely." 

 

Louis was on his hands and knees, leaning forward with his hands tied to the iron posts of the headboard. His back was arched obscenely, making his bum stick out. His head was hanging down and he was breathing through his nose to keep his head from swimming. 

 

He felt Harry's hands all over his body, his back, his arse, his thighs. It felt heavenly. He heard the thump of the paddle as it hit the floor. It was silent, save for his breathing and Harry's breathing. For a moment, he'd thought Harry had left the bedroom completely, but the man was staring at him. It made him shift and whine. 

 

"Hush." Harry demanded. 

 

"Yes, sir." Louis replied, heart pounding. He felt Harry's hands on his round cheeks, slapping them and jiggling them before pulling them apart. The air hit his hole, making it clench. 

 

"Don't be shy. Open up for Daddy." Harry whispered behind him. He felt Harry's hot breath fan over the quivering muscle before it was completely covered by Harry's mouth. He flicked his tongue back and forth teasingly. 

 

"Sir-" Louis said in a pleading manner. A slap landed on his thigh. 

 

"I thought I told you to hush? Maybe I shouldn't eat you out." Harry tsked. "Maybe I should leave you in here like this, hm? All by yourself?" Before Louis could answer, Harry spoke again. "No, I couldn't leave a pretty thing like you in here alone. Not when your hole looks so inviting and your pretty cock is full. Huh, baby? You can speak." 

 

"I'll-I'll be quiet, I promise!" Louis cried. "Just please-" 

 

"What do you want?" Harry asked. 

 

"Want your mouth, sir." 

 

"Good boy. Such a good little boy for Daddy." Harry said before diving in once more, licking Louis' hole with fervor. He teased the rim, nipping and sucking, before actually pushing the tip of his tongue through the ring.

 

Above him, Louis let out a moan and hung his head.

 

"Don't hold back, baby. I want to hear your pretty noises." Harry instructed, pushing a finger in beside his tongue. With the permission now granted, Louis began to let out a string of pornographic moans; ones that would put any porn star to shame. He rutted back onto Harry's finger and tongue, whining and curling his fingers. 

 

"So good, Sir!" He cried, feeling the pads of the now two fingers Harry had inside of him brush up against his prostate. "Right there, right there!"

 

Harry pulled back and fucked his fingers into the boy, curling them and spreading them out, each time hitting the bundle of nerves. Louis arched his back even more and whined.

 

"Need you, need you now! Sir, please get in me!" Louis cried out. Harry twisted his fingers one last time before lubing his cock up and positioning it at Louis' hole.

 

"All at once, baby?" He asked, smoothing his hand over Louis' tailbone. The smaller boy nodded frantically and Harry wasted no time sinking into the smaller boy, not stopping until his pelvis was pressed up against Louis' arse.

 

He could feel Louis' hole clenching and unclenching around him, drawing him in. It was warm and wet and it felt _so damn good_. Louis was so tight around him that if his cock could breath, it would be choking by now.

 

He waited until Louis began to move up and down on his cock before pulling out and pushing back in.  

 

"So tight around Daddy's cock, princess." He said without thinking. It fit the moment, and he couldn't keep the word in his mouth even if he tried. Louis didn't seem to care, and actually his moans grew louder at it. 

 

He must've hit Louis' prostate because the boy cried out and threw his head back. Harry slid his hand up Louis' back and fit it around his neck, holding it while he thrusted. He was glad he used his silk ties, because they had leeway and he pulled the smaller boy up until Louis' back was pressed up against his chest. 

 

Louis whined and panted at the added pressure on his throat, Harry had a tight grip but it wasn't crushing. He could still breathe. Harry's other hand found its way to his nipples and began tugging and pinching. He tossed his head back and rested it on Harry's sweaty shoulder. Harry began to bite and nibble and suck on his neck, moving his hand down to Louis' hard cock. 

 

He began to tug on it quickly. He was working Louis to a quick orgasm, but at the last second, he pulled his hand away. Louis whimpered at that. 

 

"Gonna come from my cock only. Got it?" He whispered in Louis' ear, biting and sucking on the lobe. Louis nodded and moved his arms back so that his hands were resting on Harry's hips, moving with every thrust. 

 

"Ohh, yes! Right there!" He cried out choppily. He was so close to coming. Harry must've sensed it because he trailed his hand down past Louis' cock and past his perineum until it was touching his hole. He thought of something and pulled away to grab Louis' hand. He brought their hands down to where Harry's cock was sliding in and out of Louis' hole. 

 

"Feel that?" He asked into Louis' ear filthily. "Do you feel my cock going in and out of you?" He took Louis' fingers and pressed them right up against his cock before sinking back down. They felt the slick glide and Louis whimpered. "I want you to do something for Daddy, can you do that?" 

 

Louis nodded and choked up when his fingertips fell against the hot rim of his hole. 

 

"I want you to slide a finger in." Harry said breathlessly. Louis nodded and Harry helped him position a single finger before sinking the tip in slowly. It stretched his rim and he almost pulled it out, heart jerking at the feeling, but Harry continued to push it in. The tightness was overwhelming and he felt dizzy. 

 

"How's it feel?" Harry asked, staring down at his cock and Louis' finger, both in the boys tight hole. Louis tried to speak, but no words were forming, so he just nodded and hoped that Harry caught it. "What about this?" Harry asked, and there was another pressure on Louis' hole before Harry's long pointer finger sunk in. 

 

Louis jerked and Harry steadied him with a hand on his belly, holding him tightly. He felt Harry's finger wiggle around and Harry started moving his cock in and out again, along with his finger. It felt sensational. 

 

It wasn't until Harry had the pressure of a second finger at his hole and his thumb positioned on his perineum that Louis came hard, striping the bed with white. He fell forward, completely sated and exhausted. Harry pulled his finger out and stuck it in Louis' mouth, urging the boy to suck and bite until Harry came. 

 

With his other hand, Harry gripped Louis' hip and drove into him. He came a few seconds later with a muffled groan, filling the boy up with his hot come. He moved his hips in slow circles until he was done coming and he pulled out slowly, watching as thick drops of come followed his cock out, dripping down Louis' red rim. The sight alone was enough for him to come again, and he wanted to remember the sight forever, so that's why he grabbed his phone and took many shots of it, just in case he ever felt the need to get off and Louis wasn't available. 

 

He tossed his phone to the floor and untied the shaking and shivering boy. He kissed Louis' wrists and lifted the boys face up, kissing his red and tear streaked cheeks. 

 

"Color?" He asked, wiping the tears from Louis' face. 

 

"Fuzzy?" Louis answered. His voice sounded rough, probably from his pornographic sounds and Harry's hand on his throat. 

 

"Alright, baby. Can you come back to me, now? Come back to Daddy, princess." Harry pulled Louis over to the side of the bed that wasn't covered in Louis come and curled up with the boy. It was the first time Louis had something in his arse at the same time as Harry's cock, so Harry wasn't surprised that he went under, if even for a short period of time. 

 

He cleaned the boy up with the warm flannels he had prepared beforehand and stripped the sheets as best as he could without leaving his position next to the boy. Once he was done and they were covered up, he began to rub Louis' sides. 

 

"You were so good for me, babydoll. I'm so proud of you." He praised. "Come back to me now, come back to Daddy." He ran his fingers through Louis' sweaty, feathery hair. "Come on, princess."

 

Finally, after a few minutes of coaxing, Louis blinked up at him and smiled shyly. Harry smiled back. 

 

"There we are. How do you feel, love?" 

 

"Tired. But good. That was good. I love you." Louis said. Harry chuckled and kissed the top of Louis' head. "Do we want a bath?" 

 

Louis nodded. "Yes, we do." 

 

Harry helped Louis out of bed and into the bathroom, staring proudly at the way Louis limped all the way there. He even let his gaze linger for a few brief moments on the drying come at the top of Louis' thighs and in between his legs. 

 

Louis sat on the edge of the tub while Harry filled it up with hot water, adding bubbles and bath salts at Louis' requests. He eyed the [tray](http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LSFPGit-9hs/T7kspFS980I/AAAAAAAAAuA/9WRj94YLKNs/s1600/Mike+entertainment+center+bath+headboard+044.JPG) that was sitting across the bathtub, holding a plate of chocolate covered strawberries, two champagne flutes, a bottle of champagne, and a mysterious black velvet box. 

 

"Is this for me?" He asked. Harry nodded and stepped into the bathtub after turning the water off and the lights down, letting the several lit candles illuminate the room. He helped Louis down, and soon they were both sitting in the warm, bubbly water. 

 

"Everything is for you." He said, popping the champagne and pouring it into the flutes. He handed one to Louis and held his own up. They clinked them and smiled at each other. Louis sipped his while Harry lifted the velvet box and handed it to Louis. 

 

"Even this." He said. Louis sat his flute down and took the box from Harry. He lifted the top and gasped. Inside sat the most beautiful [necklace](http://www.cartier.us/collections/jewelry/selections/diamond-jewelry/b7013800-love-necklace) he'd ever been given. "I wanted to get you something that was beautiful and had a deeper meaning. The two rings symbolize the bond of eternal love. I thought it was fitting." 

 

Louis wiped at the few tears that escaped and he leaned forward and cupped Harry's chin, sealing their mouths together. After a few seconds, he pulled away. 

 

"I love it." He said. "I love it so much."

 

Harry beamed at that. "I'm glad." 

 

After Louis gazed at it for a few more minutes, he handed it back to Harry. He didn't want to put it on and get it wet, fearing that the water would hurt it somehow, even though it was an expensive and well-made piece of jewelry and nothing could hurt it. 

 

They sipped their champagne and ate strawberries, feeding them to one another while telling each other stories, mainly about how their family came to be. 

 

"When I was pregnant with Lucas, Bean would always stare at my belly. You were always at work, so I don't think you ever saw him doing it, but he would actually stare at it instead of doing anything else." Louis said, tapping the side of his flute with his fingertips. 

 

"Every child does that." Harry lifted another strawberry and fed it to Louis. 

 

"He had me lift my shirt up and he would lay his head on my lap." Louis replied. "It was so cute."

 

"I thought it was cute how after you had the twins, Bean claimed Theo as his right away." 

 

"He did that after Lucas was born, too. He took one look at Lucas and said, 'mine'." Louis giggled at the thought of his two and a half year old staking his claim on his younger brothers. It made him feel secure in the fact that Bean would be protective of them one day. 

 

Harry sighed and leaned back against the tub. He ran his thumb over his lips and stared at Louis. He was glad they decided to sit across from each other in the tub instead of having Louis sit in his lap. He got to stare at the beautiful boy in front of him now. 

 

Louis stared back with a small, shy smile on his face. It made Harry's heart pitter patter in his chest. He poured himself more champagne and cleared his throat. 

 

"Louis. Darling, my sunshine, the love of my life." He started. "I want you to know that I fall in love with you all over again every single day of my life. There is no one on earth that is more important to me than you. I get to experience everything with you; raising kids, travelling, everything. You're my better half, and I love you so incredibly much." 

 

Louis leaned forward and glanced down at Harry's lips. The older man knew exactly what he wanted, and soon, they were kissing passionately in the bath. 

 

"I love you too." Louis replied, pulling away. "So much." 

 

And that was enough for him. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> just a warning: before this story ends, there will be a huge time jump. im talking 3-4 years. 
> 
> actually, there will be some time jumps before the end of the book. small ones, like months. so, nothing to worry about yet. 
> 
> WINK WINK 
> 
> NOTHING TO WORRY ABOUT YET
> 
> WINK WINK 
> 
> YET
> 
> WINK WINK


	10. Chapter 10

_**March** **15**_

 

After careful planning and strategically avoiding the subject completely, they were on their way to the anniversary surprise. Honestly, he was so proud of himself for keeping it a secret from Louis. So, after a ten hour plane ride to Grenade, West Indies, and a short car ride, they stood in front of a boat. 

 

Louis looked confused. Harry stepped forward and helped him up the ramp and into the boat. "This is only the first surprise." He said, handing the boy a glass of champagne. Ever since they dropped the boys off at his mums a day ago, Louis had been drinking champagne and wine. Not enough to get drunk, but just enough to enjoy the tastes of both. He had pumped like crazy the past few days just to give his mum enough for the twins.

 

"Can I know where we're going?" Louis asked, settling into Harry's side as the boat took off. 

 

"No, love. It's a surprise." Harry answered, holding Louis closer to his body. They looked out at the beautiful, clear blue water. It seemed to go on for days. "Don't get too comfortable. The boat ride is only five minutes."

 

Louis nodded and kept looking out at the water. It was so nice out, not hot but not cold, either. It was perfect. He sipped his champagne and sat the empty flute down when the boat stopped in front of a small boardwalk. He could see a line of people, but Harry stood in front of him. 

 

"Ready?" He asked, holding his arm out. Louis took it, and they stepped off of the boat and onto the boardwalk. They reached the line of people and Louis realized that they must be at work or something. They were each handed another flute of sparkling pink champagne and a pink flower. Harry nodded to them and they continued to walk. 

 

Harry led them to a beautiful [bungalow](http://www.calivigny-island.com/theBeachBungalows.php#). Louis marveled at the outside, but it was the inside that took the cake. It was so airy and bright inside, decorated impeccably. It must have cost millions to build and decorate, and he looked around in awe. Harry didn't look at anything but Louis, smiling from ear to ear. 

 

"Harry, this is beautiful!" He exclaimed, walking into the bedroom and flopping down on the large bed. Harry stood in the doorway. 

 

"That's not all. Part three of your present is right there." He said, pointing to a stack of boxes on an end table. Louis opened his mouth and stood, walking over to them. He lifted each box and opened them one by one, smile growing bigger at each thing. 

 

He opened a [watch](http://www.debeers.com/jewellery/category/watches/aria-29mm-full-pave-watch-with-diamond-pave-wabu03z00w01), a matching [necklace](http://www.debeers.com/jewellery/category/necklaces/aria-large-pendant-j5bu20b07w), a pink gold [bracelet](http://www.debeers.com/jewellery/category/bracelets/pink-gold-half-oval-thread-pave-bangle-j3dd05z00k), a [bracelet](http://www.debeers.com/jewellery/category/bracelets/aria-bracelet-j3bu11b02w) to match his necklace, another diamond [bracelet](http://www.debeers.com/high-jewellery/swan-lake/swan-lake-bracelet-j3ga01z00k), a star [pendant](http://www.debeers.com/jewellery/be-inspired/pendants/star-pendant-necklace-j5fr01z00w), and gold flaked vodka and champagne. He turned to Harry, who was sitting on the edge of the bed watching him. He launched himself and wiggled in Harry's lap. 

 

"This is too much!" He cried. "But I love it."

 

"Well, you should. You asked for it." Harry told him. Louis looked confused, cocking his head. "You said you wanted me to get you a boat, and an island, and a bag of diamonds. Well baby, here you go." 

 

Louis spluttered and Harry corrected himself. "I didn't actually buy the boat, and I only rented the island for a week." 

 

"Still! Oh my God, Harry. I love you so much." He attacked Harry's neck in a mess of bites and kisses. He grinded in Harry's lap, bringing the older man to full hardness. "Lay back." He instructed, and Harry moved until he was laying in the middle of the bed. Louis put his knees on either side of Harry's thighs and unbuttoned the suit pants he was wearing. He pulled them down Harry's wonderfully long legs and tossed them. 

 

He traced his finger over the outline of Harry's hard cock. "I love putting this in my mouth." He informed Harry. "It's so big and I love feeling it get fatter and stiffer in my mouth. Fills me up and chokes me so good." He mouthed at it through the thin fabric of Harry's briefs. "You locked the doors, right? Because if someone comes in, I'm not stopping." 

 

Harry nodded and groaned when Louis pulled the briefs down with his teeth. He tossed them to the floor and licked a single stripe down the side of Harry's cock, sliding his hot little tongue across the throbbing vein and tonguing the slit, gathering the precome on his tongue and swallowing it. 

 

He put the hard cock in his mouth and began bobbing his head. He hollowed out his cheeks and took it down to his throat, swallowing around it. Harry's fingers wound themselves in Louis' hair and he held on tightly. 

 

Louis popped off with a grin and began to lick and suck down the side and bottom of his cock, over the vein. He nosed at Harry's balls and sucked them one by one into his mouth. Harry jerked when Louis' tongue brushed up against his perineum. Oh, fuck it. 

 

"Lower." He instructed breathlessly. Louis started on his balls again, but he shook his head. "No, lower." He bit his lip. Maybe it was a bad idea. He couldn't take it back now- _oh._ He felt the tip of Louis' tongue circling his rim.  _Yes. Oh, God, it already felt so good._

 

"Low enough?" Louis asked cheekily before licking around his hole some more. He had no idea it felt this good; being eaten out-hell, even being licked there made his head dizzy. It was easily the most pleasurable thing he'd felt. 

 

He felt Louis spread his cheeks to get easier access. Louis sealed his mouth around Harry's rim and began to suck, causing Harry's heart to stop for a second. The licking resumed, dipping in and out, teasing Harry into a mess. _Why_ had he not asked for this sooner? 

 

Louis dipped his tongue in Harry's hole-and it was a tight one-and felt the ring of muscle stretching around it. He petted the outside with a fingertip, hearing Harry's breath hitch above him. He couldn't believe that Harry was allowing him this-allowing Louis to pleasure him like this. 

 

He pushed the tip of his pointer finger inside next to his tongue and the pressure increased, Harry clenching hard as he groaned above Louis. Louis looked and saw that Harry had came hard across his stomach. He moved his face away and pulled his finger out of Harry's hole. He licked his lips and leaned over Harry's cock, slurping the head into his mouth. 

 

Harry jerked. His cock was sensitive. That was the quickest he'd come in a long time and it felt  _good._ Louis finished suckling his cock and released it, letting it fall against Harry's thigh as he began licking up the come from Harry's belly. When he was done with that, he scooted himself up to Harry's head and pressed their lips together. 

 

Harry's hands found their way to Louis' bum and they gripped hard as the kiss deepened. He could taste himself on Louis' tongue-from  _both_ places Louis had been licking and sucking. It was erotic. 

 

Finally, Louis pulled away and looked at Harry with heavily lidded eyes. "I came in my pants." 

 

-

 

That night, on their private beach, in front of their private bungalow, they made love next to a crackling fire. They laid on a blanket, Harry moving slowly and gently in Louis, showering him with love. After, they both curled up and stared up at the star-studded sky and watched the waves roll in quietly. 

 

The next morning, after another lovemaking, they ate breakfast in bed and took a walk on the beach, admiring the beauty of the island. Around lunchtime, they took a boat to Grenada to eat lunch. After talking to locals, they decided to eat at Bash Restaurant by Mark B. Harry ordered the seared catch of the day with crushed potato, thyme, and tomato choka. Louis ordered the Cajun spiced chicken breast with fried plantain, pak choy, and coconut shado beni sauce. 

 

They talked amongst themselves, sitting in a secluded spot with a fantastic view. They shared their meals and found that each item was delicious. When they were done, they walked hand in hand through the island, stopping to take pictures and marvel at scenery. 

 

They stopped at the River Antoine Distillery and sampled rums until it was time to take the boat back to the island. They stopped off at the bungalow to take a short nap before walking the island. 

 

Around dinner time, they ate food their personal chef made, and when they were done, they went to an outside cinema and watched a movie all to themselves. Louis was curled into Harry and they were covered with blankets while leaning on pillows. 

 

It was the perfect way to start off their vacation.

 

-

 

Louis was wearing nothing but a see through, black lace thong and his legs were up on Harry's shoulders. His hands were leaving angry red scratch marks down Harry's back as the older man drove into him with a force he had never known before. 

 

Every breath felt like it was being punched out of him, making little  _uh-uhs_ leave his mouth at every thrust. Harry's hands were gripping his hips tight and they would surely leave bruises, but Louis was too far gone to care. 

 

The vibrating cock ring he was wearing was making it hard to concentrate on anything else. Harry was wearing one too. Louis could feel it vibrate against his hole every time Harry's hips met his arse. It was frustrating and fantastic. 

 

Harry slowed, though it was painful to do so. The cock ring made him want to keep pounding into the boy with all of his might, but he had a different idea. He turned them so that Louis was on top. 

 

"Ride Daddy's cock, princess." He demanded, and Louis slapped both palms on his chest and rode him like nothing he'd ever seen before. He changed position and leaned back so that his hands were resting on Harry's thighs. 

 

"Oh yes!" He cried loudly. "Yes yes yes!" 

 

Harry, who'd had enough, lifted the boy just enough to take his cock ring off and then he was impaling the boy again, gripping his hips and driving up into him. Louis' own cock bounced with him, slapping against his stomach and then Harry's. 

 

"Oh Harry!" He shouted, forgetting to use the name 'sir'. "Right there! Don't stop-Daddy! I need to come!" 

 

Harry, without missing a beat, slid the cock ring from Louis and jerked the boy twice before he hand a handful of come and the boy was screaming. 

 

"Oh Daddy!" Louis ran his fingers through his own hair and let Harry continue to bounce him until Harry was coming deep inside of him. When Harry was coming no more, Louis flopped down on his chest and licked the sweat from his chest and the come from his hand. 

 

They laid in silence for a few minutes to catch their breath, and when they did, Louis rolled off of Harry. 

 

"Fancy a shower?" Harry asked, turning his head to Louis. 

 

"Can't move." Louis replied, blinking slowly. Harry laughed quietly and moved to hover over the boy. 

 

"Well, let's just get you cleaned up then." He said, sitting up to pull the panties off of Louis' body. A dark smudge of something on Louis body, right where the hip meets the pelvis, caught his eye. Upon further investigation, he noticed that it was a tattoo. And it was the letter H, written the way he writes it in his signatures. 

 

He leaned forward and pressed a kiss to it. 

 

"So you've found your anniversary present." Louis chimed. He looked up to find the boy smiling down at him. "Do you like it?" 

 

"Like it?" Harry shook his head and crawled up to Louis. "I love it. It's so sexy right there on your body. Although I'm not sure how I missed it." 

 

"I'm not sure either." Louis giggled and turned on his side, knocking Harry over with him. "I've been naked for ninety-five percent of this vacation." 

 

Harry kissed his nose. "I know. Weird. But I love it. Jesus Christ, I love it." 

 

"Okay, please don't get hard. I couldn't possibly handle any more penetration tonight." Louis pleaded. He's had Harry's cock in him for the whole trip, it seemed. His arse needed a break. 

 

Harry smiled. "Don't worry, love. I'll go service myself when you're asleep." He winked, telling Louis that he wasn't serious. 

 

"You gotta sleep with me." Louis curled up next to him. "Can't sleep without you." 

 

Harry kissed the back of his neck. "I know, love. You'll never have to sleep without me."

 

-

 

Their last few days on the island, they snorkeled and had underwater photos taken of them, watched some more movies out on the beach, visited Grenada a few more times, hiking and eating and enjoying the scenery. They walked the beach and had some more sex on the beach. They'd bought some interesting handmade items from some locals in Grenada, took a long, scenic boat ride around the island. 

 

They called the boys and talked to them for a few minutes and got a status report from Jay. After that, on the last day, they'd enjoyed a sunset champagne cruise and went on a supervised, late night scuba diving session, holding hands the entire time. 

 

It was the perfect ending to a perfect vacation, and Louis never wanted to leave. 

 

-

 

The ten hour plane ride back to London went by fairly quickly. They'd escaped once to join the mile high club and came out positively wrecked. They enjoyed wine on the plane and Harry even slept for a few hours, making Louis happy. They'd been up all night before, doing dirty things to each other. 

 

It was all very satisfying. But Louis was antsy to get back to his boys. He'd gone a whole week without them, and while he had fun, and even gotten tanner, he'd thought about his boys the whole trip. It didn't interfere with the fun he had, which was nice. He needed the break.

 

They touched down in London, bundling up in jackets to ward off the chill that hasn't quite left yet. They went through baggage claim and headed towards the parking garage where Harry had parked a week prior. 

 

Louis hurried Harry into the car. He just really wanted to hug his babies. Harry understood, and ten minutes later, they were out of the parking garage and headed towards Jay's house. They told Jay and Dan to not mention that they were coming home today so that they could surprise the boys, and it worked, kind of. 

 

Before they were even out of the car, Lucas was opening the front door and toddling out in his footie pajamas. Harry watched as Louis rushed to the nineteen month boy and scooped him up. 

 

"Mummy!" Lucas squealed in delight and partial want. He'd missed his mummy so. Louis held him tighter and kissed his little nose. Harry came up behind them and ushered them inside. He didn't want either to get sick. 

 

Lucas caught sight of Harry and held his hand out. Harry took it, thinking that the boy wanted in his arms next, but nope. Lucas was letting Louis hold him completely but Harry could only hold his hand. It made him grin. 

 

Just as they were about to announce themselves, Bean rounded the corner from the kitchen, holding a banana and chewing on it happily. He paused and stared, cocking his head. 

 

"Daddy?" He asked, turning to the kitchen before tossing the banana to the ground. He rushed his little legs as fast as they could go, running up to Harry. "Daddy!" 

 

Harry lifted him up and kissed his banana covered lips. "Hi Beanie." He greeted. Bean clung to him, most likely getting banana in his hair, but he didn't care. Jay rounded the corner after Louis sat Lucas down and took Bean into his arms. 

 

Bean was a lot softer and sweeter whenever Louis held him. He would curl up in his mummy's arms and lay his head on his mummy's shoulder. It astounded Harry how he could act differently with each parent. 

 

"I thought I heard you come in." She said, holding a spoon. "Staying for dinner?" 

 

Louis shook his head. "I wish. Jet lag is hitting me pretty hard right now, and I think this one needs a nap." He said, nodding to Bean. 

 

Jay nodded in understanding. "Ah, yes. He didn't take his this afternoon, nor did Lucas. But, they've both eaten earlier. Little buggers wouldn't settle until their bellies were full." 

 

Louis sighed in relief. They were full and tired. Perfect. Now he could take them home and put them right to bed. "Thanks so much, Mum." 

 

"No problem at all. I love the little guys. And the dog. He's so fun." She turned back into the kitchen, calling out, "Dan's got the twins, dear!" 

 

Louis looked at Harry, begging with his eyes for Harry to take Bean, which he did. As soon as Bean was out of his arms, Louis went into the living room to find Dan. By the time Harry entered the room, Louis had both twins in his arms, smiling happily. 

 

"Thanks so much." Louis said, rocking them back and forth. Dan waved his arm and shook his head. 

 

"It was fun." He replied, muting the television. "They're quite the children." 

 

"Thank you." Louis walked over to Harry. "I'm going to go and buckle them in." He said. Harry nodded and waited for Louis to go before pulling out his checkbook. 

 

"How much do I owe you?" He asked, clicking his pen. Dan shook his head. 

 

"Nope. Nothing." He said. "We did this for fun." 

 

"I insist that I pay you." Harry said. "Please. I want too. As a thank you." 

 

Dan kept shaking his head. "You're family. We don't take money from family." 

 

Harry began to fill out the check anyway. "Dan, I've got four children, two of which cause mischief everywhere they go and two who can't even eat on their own. Let me pay you." 

 

Dan hesitated but he took the check that Harry held out. 

 

"Use it for pleasure." He suggested. "Go somewhere for the weekend." 

 

Dan glanced down at the check and his eyes widened. Before he could say anything, Harry was lifting Bean and Lucas into his arms and backing away. 

 

"I won't take it back." He said. "Really, you two deserve it." 

 

He closed the door, hearing Dan calling Jay into the room. Louis was already in the passengers seat, leaning his head against the window and scrolling through his phone. Harry buckled the boys up and climbed into the drivers seat. 

 

"Ready to go home, love?" He asked. 

 

Louis nodded sleepily. Harry twisted their fingers together and kissed Louis' knuckles. By the time he pulled into the garage and killed the engine, he had four sleeping children and a sleeping husband. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> if you cant see louis tomlinson wearing expensive diamond jewelry you're lying to yourself.
> 
> triple update bitches


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the shortest chapter I have ever written. And it sucks so bad honestly I'm embarrassed to post it .

Summer came fairly quickly, and before they knew it, it was time to celebrate Beans third birthday and Lucas' second. 

 

Louis decided to have one party for the both of them, and it went flawlessly. 

 

Harry was barbecuing while Anne and Jay went back and forth carrying covered dishes and plates. Liam was holding Charlotte while talking to Dan and Robin about the business. 

 

Bean, Lucas, and Finn were running around the backyard with Duke, screaming with laughter. 

 

And Louis and Niall were inside, changing the twins, who were eight and a half months old. They were already sitting up by themselves and were beginning to crawl. 

 

Their eyes had changed to a bright baby blue but their hair was curling. They were the perfect combination of Louis and Harry. 

 

Louis finished combing Ollie's barely there curls and lifted the baby up in his arms. He did the same with Theo and walked outside after Niall. 

 

He he walked over to Harry and handed him Ollie, who was sucking on his hand. 

 

"Hey there!" He greeted the baby. Ollie smiled and began babbling. 

 

"Can you believe that Bean is three?" Louis asked, taking a sip of Harry's beer. 

 

Harry shook his head and closed the grill. "Nope. I refuse to believe that my first born can now form full sentences." 

 

"Well what about Lucas? He can say a lot more words now." Louis pointed out. 

 

"All of my babies are growing up. Even these little guys. They're rolling over and crawling." Harry kissed the top of Ollie's head and didn't even wince when the eight and a half month old grabbed a handful of his hair. Most of it was in a bun, anyway. 

 

"Well, let me know when you're ready. They're desperate to cut the cakes." Louis said, patting Harry on the arm before walking away. 

 

The rest of the birthday went off successfully, and the two boys got many gifts, some educational and some just for fun. 

 

A month later, in September, they got together at Liam and Niall's house to celebrate Finn's third birthday. Now that the two could speak, Bean and Finn said everything to each other.

 

It was amusing to the four parents.

 

On December 7th, they celebrated Ollie and Theo's first birthday and Louis cried the whole day. Harry didn't blame him. It was a very emotional pregnancy and birth. 

 

The twins were now learning to hold themselves up barely, clinging to Harry or Louis' pant legs for dear life. 

 

Since they couldn't quite walk yet, they scooted or crawled, with Duke watching them carefully and protectively. 

 

December was a busy month for them. They decorated and while Harry was hanging the outside lights, Louis stood and watched his four children play in the snow. 

 

Each child was bundled up warmly and they tried to make  snowmen and snowballs. 

 

When the house was decorated, they drove to get the tree. The children loved running in between the trees and hiding behind them. 

 

When Harry cut down the tree, they hauled it in and began decorating. The twins fell asleep on the floor by the fireplace, curled up around each other. 

 

It wasn't a long time before Lucas and Bean were following them, blinking their tired eyes and yawning. 

 

When all of the boys were in bed sleeping, safe and sound, thats when Harry and Louis would curl up in bed and talk. Sometimes they made love, but most of the time they just talked. 

 

They talked about everything, really. The kids, work, Louis' education and what he was going to do when he graduated. 

 

On December 24th, Harry took Louis into the city for a romantic dinner. After, he took Louis to the ballet. He knew how much Louis loved the ballet, and he enjoyed it too. 

 

That night, they made love well into the morning, only getting a few hours of sleep before the boys were waking them up to open presents. 

 

Everything was going great for their family. 

 

It was the calm before the storm. 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Every update you get until around tuesday will have been written on my phone so forgive any mistakes and lack of smut!


	12. Chapter 12

**_Two and a half years later_ **

**_Harry-32_ **

**_Louis-24_ **

**_Bean- 5_ **

**_Lucas-4_ **

**_Ollie & Theo- 2_ **

 

Styles & Payne Global was now, well, global. They had branches in Tokyo, America, China, Brazil, The Philiphines, South Korea, Canada, Mexico, France, England, India, Italy, and many more places. 

 

Harry and Liam had been working harder and harder, and it paid off. They were named the highest grossing business in the UK by several business magazines. 

 

But because of this, they had to travel more often. While Louis was happy for Harry, they hadn't had a decent conversation in months, and the same went for sex. 

 

Louis finished his schooling and graduated second in his class, making Harry proud. He had a degree in teaching/early childhood development, but he had yet to use it. 

 

He wanted to wait until all of his children were in school before he got a job. 

 

He had finally hired a nanny a few months back, and really, the man was a godsend. 

 

His is name was Olly, which Louis got a kick out of, and he was 27. He went to school to become a primary school teacher but he never received his degree. His mum had grown ill and he had to halt his studies and get a job to help her. 

 

Louis thought that it was very admirable and after getting to know Olly, and after seeing how well he got along with the children, Louis hired him.

 

Harry wasn't aware that Louis had even hired Olly. He always worked late and left early, and when he was home, he was holed up in his study. 

 

 

Olly was still at the house when Harry got home, and he noticed the way that Harry would skirt past Louis to go upstairs and work. 

 

Even though Louis acted happy, he could see how it affected the poor boy. He would never treat Louis like that. 

 

-

 

Louis woke up with a headache. He'd been getting them a lot lately, especially aroube midnight. 

 

He turned over, and surprise surprise, Harry wasn't in bed. It was times like this that he really wanted Harry's comfort. 

 

He slid out of bed and made his way to Harry's study. He cracked the door open and stepped inside. 

 

Harry was sitting at his desk, staring at a few scattered pieces of  paper in front of him, and the glow from the laptop screen illuminated the otherwise dark room. 

 

"Harry?" He asked, closing the door behind him. Harry grunted in response and didn't look up. He walked over to where Harry was sitting and slid in front of him. 

 

"What?" Harry asked, looking up at him. 

 

"Can I sit with you?" When Harry nodded, Louis sat himself in Harry's lap. His knees were on either side of Harry's thighs and he wrapped his arms around Harry's middle, resting his head on Harry's shoulder. 

 

He wasn't exactly comfortable, but this was the closest they'd been in months, so he wasn't complaining. 

 

He must have fallen asleep because when he woke up again, Harry was carrying him to the bedroom. He expected Harry to just lay him down and leave again, but a few seconds later he felt the bed dip behind him. 

 

So Harry was dobe working for the night. Louis waited for an arm to be slung around his waist or a leg to be thrown over his, but it never came.

 

-

 

"You alright, Louis?" Olly asked the next morning. He was feeding the twins bits of pancake. 

 

Louis rubbed his eyes and nodded. "Yes." He replied, pouring a mug of tea. 

 

Olly's brows furrowed. "You're not sick? You look a bit pale." 

 

"Just a bit tired. Had a headache last night." Louis replied. 

 

"Again? Maybe you should go to the doctors." Olly suggested. It made Louis' heart twinge. Olly knew more about what Louis was going through than his own husband did. 

 

"It's probably just stress." Louis muttered. Olly wiped his hands and stood. 

 

"I'm not so sure. I think you ought to see a doctor." Olly stood in front of him. "I mean it, Lou. You're always sad, you've always got headaches..." 

 

Louis sighed. "Fine. I'll call Dr. Bowen and try to get an appointment in." 

 

That must have pleased Olly because the older man pulled him into a hug. 

 

"Just let me know when it is." He said, stepping back and returning to the twins. 

 

-

 

Louis didn't get an appointment until a week from today. Which was fine, because he was fine.

 

 

Sure, his marriage was kind of falling apart and he'd lost control of it, and sure, he felt himself being drawn towards the nanny. That was normal, right? 

 

To be drawn towards people who show you kindness and love instead of ignoring affection and working all of the time?

 

He wasn't in love with Olly. He still loved Harry so much it physically hurt him. But Olly was different than Harry. Olly was...just different. 

 

It was hard to explain. Olly was a breath of fresh air. He didn't act like talking to Louis was a chore. He acted happy to see Louis, while Harry would always brush past him. 

 

He he loved playing with the kids, and Louis couldn't remember the last time Harry sat down with them. 

 

It was all so scary and confusing. He sought comfort, and Olly was the only one providing it. 

 

He felt like he was betraying Harry somehow, and Harry didn't even know it. He didn't know how unhappy Louis was, and it's not like he would listen if Louis told him.

 

It gave Louis a headache just thinking about it. He didn't want to do anything but lay in bed. He had no motivation to do anything. 

 

He felt like a horrible mother because even interacting with his children made him want to curl into a ball and cry. He loved them so much, but he couldn't help it. 

 

He wanted things to be like they were two years ago. Before Harry started expanding the business and before he brought Olly into their lives. 

 

He just wanted it all back.  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short! But I felt that if I wrote anything else it would ruin the chapter.


	13. Chapter 13

The next morning Olly knocked on Louis' bedroom door. He hadn't seen him all morning and he was worried. 

 

Louis had been off the past few weeks, and Olly was beginning to think that Louis was ill. 

 

He really cared for Louis, and it hurt him to see the man like this. He couldn't help but think that Louis deserved better. 

 

"Louis?" He cracked the door open when he didn't get a response. The room was dark and he could see a little lump under the covers on the bed. "Louis? Are you okay?" 

 

"I'm fine. Just tired." Came a muffled reply. 

 

"Can I get you anything?" Olly offered. "Some water or something to eat?" 

 

"Thanks for offering, but I'm okay." Louis said quietly. 

 

Olly didn't believe him but he nodded anyway. "Alright. Holler if you need anything." 

 

Louis didn't respond, so Olly turned and left the dark room. He was really worried. 

 

-

 

"Harry Styles, please. This is his husband." Louis said into his cellphone a few hours later. 

 

"Oh, hello! Unfortunately Mr. Styles is with someone right now, but I'll put you through. You might be on hold for a bit." Amy said. 

 

"That's okay." Louis told her. He wouldn't have to be put on hold at all if Harry would answer his phone once in awhile. 

 

Twenty minutes later, Harry finally picked up. "Louis?"

 

"So you did know it was me." Louis said dryly.

 

"Yes? Amy buzzed me after she put you on hold."

 

"I just figured since you knew it was me, I wouldn't have to be on hold." Louis bit his thumbnail.

 

"Did you call for a specific reason? I'm very busy today." 

 

"Actually, I was, um, wondering if you were busy for lunch? We haven't gone out in a long time and-" Louis stopped talking when he could hear muffled voices in the background. He recognized one as Harry's. 

 

Harry wasn't listening to him. Tears flooded his eyes and he ended the call. Why did he even bother? 

 

He felt so stupid. Harry didn't even respect him enough or care about him enough to listen to what he had to say.

 

He burrowed under the covers and didn't plan on leaving the rest of the day.   

 

-

 

 Over the course of the next few days, there was a routine in the Styles' household. Harry would leave for work, Louis would wake up, struggle to get out of bed, and when he did, Olly would give him pitying looks. He would try to insert himself in the activities that the kids did, but he would eventually find himself locked in a guest bedroom or a random closet, crying.

 

It was unexplainable. He didn't feel depressed...just a little bit lost at the moment. Like he had lost sight of what his life was supposed to be like. They were supposed to be planning their first family vacation right now. Instead, it was like they were all strangers in one house.

 

He had conflicted feelings, and he couldn't wait to get to Dr. Bowen's office. Maybe he could help.

 

-

 

While Olly was nothing short of polite and wonderful, Louis needed to fire him. He had to fire him. Because Olly was there for him when Harry never was, he had grown some type of feelings for Olly, yet he couldn't describe them. He wasn't in love with him, but he felt strongly towards him. He had a desire to be near Olly because when he was, he felt good.

 

Maybe he was substituting Olly for Harry, and in that case, Olly had to go. He hated it though. Why couldn't Olly stay and Harry stay? It wasn't fair, and he was in a weird place right now with all of his feelings. He had no one to express them to, either. He felt that if he talked to Olly, it would cause more problems for himself, and Harry was too busy to listen. Maybe Niall would understand.

 

-

 

"So, let me get this straight," Niall said, sinking down slowly onto the closed toilet lid. "You think you have feelings for the nanny?"

 

Louis, who was sitting on the edge of the bathtub, bit his lip and nodded slowly. He had to choose his words carefully. "I think. I might. I don't know?"

 

"This is crazy!" Niall exclaimed. "Why on earth do you think that?"

 

Louis shrugged. "Olly's been here for months and Harry's been so distant and he's always gone...I guess I was latching onto Olly because he gave me attention."

 

"Have you even talked to Harry about this?" Niall asked.

 

"I've tried! He's always busy. The other day I called his work and I got put on hold. He knew it was me and I was on hold for twenty minutes. Who puts their spouse on hold?" Louis stood and began pacing. "And when I was going to ask him if he wanted to go to lunch, I could hear him talking to someone else in the background. He wasn't even listening to me. As if I already don't feel shitty enough."

 

Niall sent him a sympathetic look. Louis sat back down and buried his face in his hands.

 

"I just-I feel so alone. I don't even want to play with my children. How horrible is that? I've got feelings for the nanny and I don't want to spend time with my babies." Louis laughed bitterly.  
"What is happening to me?"

 

Niall moved from the toilet to the edge of the tub. He rubbed his hand down Louis' back. "Hey, come on. It's not your fault. I think you need to see a doctor. Maybe Dr. Bowen can help. And you just need to fire Olly, sit down with Harry, and everything will solve itself."

 

"It's not that simple, Niall. We haven't had sex in four weeks. How am I going to get him to sit down and talk to me?" Louis wiped his face. "He acts like it's a chore to talk to me. And the kids really miss him."

 

"I know, but you've got to try." Niall told him. "If you want, Liam and I can come over tonight and we can kind of buffer. You can talk to Harry, and if things go AWOL, we can talk some sense into you guys."

 

Louis nodded and smoothed the front of his shirt down. "Okay. Yeah. I'd like that."

 

They stood and Niall pulled Louis into a hug. "Now, go see a doctor."

 

-

 

Louis swung his feet back and forth nervously. Dr. Bowen was staring at him, and it made him a tad uncomfortable. He was wearing a breezy hospital gown, since Dr. Bowen insisted that he check up on _everything_.

 

"Louis." He finally said, sitting down in his chair. He laid his clipboard over his knees. "Everything on the inside and outside is okay physically. You're trim and back to your pre-birth weight. Actually, you're slimmer now than you were before you had your first child. But, I want to discuss that further."

 

  
"Yeah, okay." Louis nodded his head and tapped his fingers against his thigh.

 

"Tell me what's been going on."

"Uh, well, I've been pretty sad here, lately. I guess you could call it sad? I sometimes don't want to get out of bed, and I've been going through some relationship problems lately." 

 

Dr. Bowen nodded. "And weight loss." He pointed out.

 

"Yeah. I just don't know what to do. I want to get better." Louis bit on his thumbnail. It was a habit he picked up.

 

"I think, after reviewing your files and hearing what you had to say, that you've got situational depression. It's not like any other depression. It can occur when something happens in your life, such as a death or when stress can become too much in a relationship."

 

"I don't think I have depression." Louis crossed his arms.

 

"Just hear me out. Situational depression can cure itself, with the right treatment. Usually, if one exercises, eats well balanced meals, talks to someone about their situation or even joins a support group, that can help it. But, in your case, I'm going to prescribe you some mild antidepressants."

 

"In my case?" Louis frowned.

 

"You've got four children, Louis. It's important that you get well again for them." Dr. Bowen stood and handed Louis a piece of paper with a written prescription.

 

"Fill this, and I want to see you back here in a few weeks, okay?" He patted Louis' shoulder and left the room.

 

Louis sighed and hopped off the table to get dressed. He slid the paper in his pocket and hurried out of the doctors office.

 

He didn't want to get caught by anyone leaving. It was embarrassing enough that he let himself get this way.

 

He drove to the pharmacy and waited the half an hour for his prescription to get filled. Once he was handed the white bag, he scurried out.

 

When he was safe behind tinted windows, he opened the bag and read the side of the bottle. They weren't extreme. Just take one every morning with food. Easy enough.

 

He drove home in silence, wondering how he would fire Olly. He really didn't want too, but it was something he had to do.

 

He wasn't going to let his marriage fail over this.

 

-

 

"Hey, Olly?" Louis stepped into the den where Olly was sitting with the twins. Bean and Lucas were upstairs in their room, reading.

 

"Yeah?" Olly looked up at him.

 

"Can we talk? In the kitchen?" Louis asked, jerking his thumb behind him. Olly nodded and stood, following him into the room.

 

"Yeah?" He asked when they were alone.

 

"Listen, I think you're really great. I do. You're fantastic with the kids. They love you, and I-"

 

Olly breathed a sigh of relief, which confused Louis. "You feel it too, then?" He asked.

 

"I-what?" Louis asked.

 

"It's been great working for you. Being with you everyday has made me realize something." Olly gripped Louis' biceps. "I've fallen in love with you, Louis."

 

"What?" Louis stepped back. "Olly, that's not what I was going to say."

 

"I know you feel it too. I can treat you so much better than your husband can." Olly pleaded. "I want to raise your children."

 

"Stop talking." Louis rubbed his temples. "Olly, there is no way that I feel that way about you."

 

"You haven't even given us a chance!" Olly protested, grabbing Louis' biceps again.

 

"Olly, you're great. You really are." Louis told him. "But you're just not right for this family."

 

Olly furrowed his brows. "Are you firing me?"

 

Louis nodded. "I'm so sorry. I really do like you."

 

"You do?"

 

"I do. You're great, like I said. The kids love you." Louis patted Olly's arm awkwardly.

 

"I understand. Before I go, can I-?" He asked. Louis nodded, thinking that he wanted a hug.

 

At the last minute, Olly embraced Louis and pressed their lips together. Louis was stunned.

 

"What in the bloody _fuck_ is going on here?" An angry voice sounded from the doorway.

 

Louis tore himself away from Olly and gasped. Harry was staring there, fists clenched, with Liam holding his arm to keep him from lunging.

 

"Harry!" Louis cried, stepping towards him. The icy glare Harry shot him made him stop. "Harry, I can-"

 

"Save it." Harry gritted. "Does anyone want to explain to me why I just caught my husband snogging the nanny?" He tried to step forward again, but Liam jerked him back.

 

"I was just-" Louis protested.

 

"I said save it. I don't want to hear anything you have to say." He jerked out of Liam's grasp and turned to Olly. "You have ten seconds to get out of my house before I kill you."

 

Olly looked helplessly at Louis. "Are you going to do anything? Louis, I love you!"

 

At the admission, Harry lunged forward, and Louis stepped quickly in between the two.

 

"Olly, you need to leave. Now." He pleaded. As much as he hated Olly right now, he didn't want Harry to get in any trouble.

 

"Fine." Olly barked, turning on his heel and rushing out of the kitchen. When he heard the front door slam shut, Louis turned to Harry.

 

"Harry-" He began, giving Harry a pleading look.

 

"Don't. Don't talk to me, don't contact me, don't even look at me right now." Harry yelled. He stormed out of the kitchen and began to walk up the stairs. Louis followed him. 

 

"What do you mean? Where are you going?" He begged for an answer, following Harry into their room. Harry was throwing clothes into luggage bags.

 

"I'm leaving you. Isn't it obvious?" He growled, walking into the bathroom and coming back out with his bag of toiletries.

 

"Why?" Louis whimpered.

 

"Why? _Why_?" Harry roared. "I just caught you with the nanny! How long has this been going on? Hm? Days? Weeks? Since you hired him?"

 

"No!"

 

"And how am I supposed to believe that?" Harry zipped up one suitcase and began to fill another. "Was this not enough for you?" He threw his arms out. "All of the trips, the jewelry, the house, the cars. Do you want more? Are you that greedy?"

 

"Harry!" Louis gasped. He was hurt that Harry was saying that to him.

 

"Funny, your test didn't say gold-digger. Guess I should have known, huh?" He zipped up the last suitcase and grabbed his electronic bag.

 

"If you would just let me explain-" Louis followed Harry out of the room.

 

"I don't want to hear anything you have to say. I really don't. I will contact you when I want to talk. You are not to contact me at all. I'll figure out an arrangement for the kids." Harry said, opening the front door.

 

"Daddy?" Bean appeared at the top of the stairs, holding Lucas by the shoulders. They both looked terrified, and Lucas was in tears.

 

The twins toddled out of the den when they heard shouting. Louis turned and looked to Harry.

 

"Can you please just say goodbye to them?" He asked. Harry hesitated, but he nodded. "Boys, come here." 

 

Bean and Lucas walked down the stairs while Ollie and Theo wandered over to him. Louis knelt down so that he was eye level.

 

"Daddy is going on a business trip, okay?" He felt bad for lying, but he couldn't tell them that Harry was leaving him.

 

"How long will he be gone, Mummy?" Lucas asked.

 

"I'm not sure. But he'll come back, okay? And you can spend a whole bunch of time with him." Louis promised them. It was really hard for him not to cry.

 

"Daddy go on business?" Ollie asked. He peeked around Louis and saw all of Harry's bags. "Ollie go with Daddy?"

 

He walked over to Harry on his chubby legs and tugged on Harry's leg. Harry knelt down and pulled Ollie into a hug.

 

"Sorry, buddy." He said. "Daddy's got to go by himself." He addressed the other three who had made their way over to him. "But I'll be back shortly, okay? Be good."

 

"You can go and play now," Louis told them. They sensed the tension, so they went back upstairs. The twins kissed Harry before walking back into the den. Niall and Liam were hovering awkwardly in the doorway of the sitting room, watching them. Louis turned to Harry. He opened his mouth to speak, but Harry picked his suitcases up and sent Louis a scathing look. 

 

"Have fun with Olly." He said before leaving, slamming the door behind him. Liam went after him while Louis sat back on the stairs and put his head in his hands. A few seconds later, Niall was next to him.

 

"I've done it." He whimpered, the tears now pouring down his face. "Can you do me a favor?"

 

"Anything, Louis." Niall promised.

 

"Can you not tell Liam or Harry? I want to tell him myself." He asked. "I just think it'd be better coming from me."

 

"Of course." Niall pulled him into a hug. They held each other for awhile before Louis was pulling away and wiping his eyes.

 

"Now, I've got to go call someone." He stood. "Can you watch the twins?"

 

Niall nodded. "Yeah, do what you need to do."

 

Louis walked upstairs and into the master bedroom. He closed the door and sat on the bed. He pulled his phone out and dialed, chewing on his thumb. The tears were flowing freely and he couldn't help but let out a sob.

 

"Mum, I've ruined everything."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1) I am a grown adult.  
> 2) I have been cheated on twice.  
> 3) While it is not fun, I believe it's a growing experience. Being cheated on doesn't make someone weak, it makes them stronger.  
> 4) I in no way, shape, or form will glorify cheating.
> 
> HARRY IS NOT THE BAD GUY  
> NO HARRY BASHING PLEASE  
> HE IS IN PAIN AND HURT
> 
>  
> 
> WAIT FOR IT
> 
>  
> 
> CATCH THE REST IN.......
> 
>  
> 
> STRICT V 
> 
> !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

**Author's Note:**

> I'm going to be 100% honest with you, there were tears when writing this chapter. hella tears. borderline sobbing.
> 
> ive actually been thinking-and when this story is over, i might write some one shots to go along with it, such as Bean going to uni and stuff like that. so ill be asking for some suggestions on what to write in them-because i dont want to stop writing this!
> 
> Friends is now on Netflix!!! Goodbye world!!!


End file.
